ABSTRACT
To trade in intellectual property, it is essential that the work in question is protected by copyright and that a framework of mutual copyright protection is in place if the trading is to take place between different countries, perhaps with differing copyright regimes. This introductory chapter seeks to put in context the growth of the publishing industry in the United Kingdom and the development of copyright legislation in that country and in the countries which represent its major trading partners. It will also examine the growing number of movements lobbying against copyright, either in its entirety or at least in its present form.
