A Crystal Ball for Congress
Information Today, Vol. 22, No. 3, p. 17, March 2005
3 Pages Posted: 22 Jun 2010
Date Written: March 1, 2005
Abstract
When writing about legal issues that impact the information industry, I frequently comment that the law has a difficult time keeping up with changing technology. Much of our copyright, contract, jurisdiction, and first amendment law developed in an analog era for an analog society. Even contemporary laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Child Online Protection Act have been challenged to address technologies like peer-to-peer file sharing and cyber-porn.
Law is not fixed. It evolves as society and the technology of society evolves. This evolution can take a number of forms. One form is the role that courts play in interpreting the law. Another form of evolution is the actions of Congress (and state legislatures) in enacting new laws to address new societal concerns. This column addresses how the courts and congress work to keep pace with ever-evolving copyright issues.
Keywords: copyright law, legislation, U.S. courts, Congress, lawsuits, reform, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Child Online Protection Act, infringement
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