According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, by 2006, almost half of the U.S. workforce will be employed by industries that are either major producers or intensive users of information technology products(digital contents) and services. The advent of a digital era increased the importance of digitalized contents on culture, education, medicare and other ares of our daily lives. As a high value-added industry with ‘0’ marginal cost, digital contents are key to maximizing added vale in mobile communications, DTV, home network and other growth engines. The digital contents which has creativeness has been protected by the Copyright Act in Korea. However, the contents which was not creative could not have been protected so far on the ground that it lacks creativeness, one of the prerequisite for copyright protection, even though the industry invested much time and effort in digitalizing the contents. Considered these situations, the Ministry of Information and Communication Republic of Korea initiated to enact a law to protect digital contents provides and to promote digital contents industries. The newly enacted law, which is to enter into force on the 15th of July 2002, protects digital contents provides on the basis of unfair competition rules rather than giving them rights of Intellectual Property Rights holders. Online Digital Contents Industry Promotion Act is an essential further proposal to address the fastest-growing segment of our national economy in this information age.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, by 2006, almost half of the U.S. workforce will be employed by industries that are either major producers or intensive users of information technology products(digital contents) and services. The advent of a digital era increased the importance of digitalized contents on culture, education, medicare and other ares of our daily lives. As a high value-added industry with ‘0’ marginal cost, digital contents are key to maximizing added vale in mobile communications, DTV, home network and other growth engines. The digital contents which has creativeness has been protected by the Copyright Act in Korea. However, the contents which was not creative could not have been protected so far on the ground that it lacks creativeness, one of the prerequisite for copyright protection, even though the industry invested much time and effort in digitalizing the contents. Considered these situations, the Ministry of Information and Communication Republic of Korea initiated to enact a law to protect digital contents provides and to promote digital contents industries. The newly enacted law, which is to enter into force on the 15th of July 2002, protects digital contents provides on the basis of unfair competition rules rather than giving them rights of Intellectual Property Rights holders. Online Digital Contents Industry Promotion Act is an essential further proposal to address the fastest-growing segment of our national economy in this information age.

Digital Contents, Online Digital Contents Industry Promotion Act, Digitalization, DC cluster.