In this book, law professor Jessica Litman questions whether copyright laws crafted by lawyers and their lobbyists really make sense for the rest of us. Should every interaction between ordinary consumers and copyright-protected works be governed by laws drafted without ordinary consumers in mind? Is it practical to enforce such laws, or to expect consumers to obey them? Most important, what are the effects of such laws on the exchange of information in a free society? Litman's critique exposes the 1998 copyright law as incoherent. She argues for commonsense reforms that reflects the way people actually behave in their daily digital interactions.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note
Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Copyright basics 2. The art of making copyright laws 3. Copyright and compromise 4. A thought experiment 5. Choosing metaphors 6. Copyright lawyers set out to colonize cyberspace 7. Creation and incentives 8. "Just say yes to licensing!" 9. The bargaining table 10. The copyright wars 11. Copyright law in the digital millennium 12. Revising copyright law for the information age 13. The copyright bargain Glossary Index.