Almost every bit of information can be cut and pasted (粘贴) with a few clicks of a mouse. Many art forms such as writings, films, and music need new protection to ensure that people do not simply transfer them for free. Online illegal copying has been blamed for a huge reduction in the sales of many records because it is hard to convince people to buy something that they can get for free. Even the ideas behind traditional games, such as Scrabble, have been used without the owners' permission.

　　Old laws have been struggling to keep up. While music companies have been successful in persuading courts that action should be taken against people who illegally download music, the law is difficult to carry out. Furthermore, intellectual property rights vary widely from country to country, so it's up for debate which laws apply. Finally, there is the fact that many people simply do not see the act as theft, since once the work has been digitized there is no clear physical object to steal in the first place.

　　All of these issues mean that companies involved with intellectual property — ideas or easily digitized information —

　　are fighting desperately to get people to pay for the information they use, rather than paying for an object like a CD that they use. While the companies have sometimes been successful, the practical barriers to full protection seem insurmountable.

　　Finally, all that concerned parties can do is hope that their few successes scare off others and try to find new ways of making money.

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