By Russell Steinthal

Every day, more and more information is placed on the Internet, with each addition making it more useful to researchers and the general public. But according to Judith Klavans, director of Columbia's Center for Research in Information Access, that trend may come to an end if techniques are not developed to guarantee protection for copyrighted material.

Currently, almost all the information on the Internet is available for free; many see that as the defining characteristic of the Internet. While that may seem to be good for the user, Dr. Klavans argues that it also discourages publishers from embracing electronic publication, and causes them to prohibit libraries from purchasing one copy of a book and then making it available over the Internet.

"Commerce on the Internet will not be possible until the technology to guarantee payment, authentication, and security is developed and implemented at the international level," according to Dr. Klavans. "Without timely advances, the Internet may well become a repository for advertising and junk mail, rather than a source of valuable information."

Earlier this year, Dr. Klavans, in conjunction with Dr. James Davis of Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center, organized a workshop for publishers, lawyers, librarians, government officials, and computer experts to try to formulate a working solution.

The workshop, which was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and held at Columbia's Arden Homstead conference center, focused on devising a method for publishers to specify the conditions under which their materials may be copied and used.

If a database of that information were compiled, it would then be possible for a user to search for "all movies under $5 starring Sylvester Stallone" or "sports magazines which allow republication." The information could also be integrated into payment systems which would automatically bill users for the usage fees which they incurred.

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