By the 1980s, the transition to a global information-oriented culture was accelerating. This study explores how emerging technology affects the status of art as a cultural artifact and the role of the artist, drawing parallels to the historical acceptance of photography as an art medium. It examines the discourse among legal experts on intellectual property and practitioners of electronic art forms. As internet projects began to emerge, the study highlights the tension between the delocalized nature of digital art and the enduring relevance of territorially bound laws, focusing on legal frameworks in France, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. The comparative analysis reveals both differences and similarities, showing that cultural traditions resist rapid change while the electronic landscape blurs distinctions among users and producers, raising questions about global distribution. The study concludes by addressing the implications of global economics, leaving open questions for ongoing discussion. The author, a private docent in art theory and history at Carl-von-Ossietzky-Universität, Oldenburg, and Head of Archives and Collections at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, has a rich academic background in art history and has published extensively on 19th and 20th-century art.
