This anthology brings together over a dozen articles published by David Nimmer over the past decade regarding copyright, together with updated commentary weaving together the various threads running through them. The unifying theme running through the work is the need to reconcile standards in order to protect that most ethereal creation of mankind: the written word. From that unique vantage point the discussion delves into the religious roots and sacred character of the act of creation. Religion and copyright are brought into resonance as issues from one field are deployed to illuminate those in the other. Given its culminating focus on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act this work of necessity drills deeply into current advances in technology, notably the dissemination of works over the internet. The religious perspective shines an unexpected light onto those issues as well.

The world of Internet law is constantly changing and is difficult to follow, even for those for whom doing so is a full-time job. This updated, everything-you-need-to-know reference removes the uncertainty. Internet and the Law: Technology, Society, and Compromises, Second Edition is the go-to source for anyone who needs clear explanations of complex legal concepts related to online practices and content. This wide-ranging, alphabetical reference explores diverse areas of law, including territorial jurisdiction and taxation, that are relevant to or affected by advances in information technology and the rise of the Internet. Particular emphasis is placed on intellectual property law and laws regarding freedom of expression. The Internet, as this book shows, raises questions not only about how to protect intellectual creations, but about what should be protected. Entries also discuss how the Web has brought First Amendment rights and free expression into question as society grapples with attempts to control "leaks" and to restrict content such as pornography, spam, defamation, and criminal speech.

For several decades now David Nimmer has maintained a steady flow of insightful, witty, and deeply-informed commentary on copyright in the law journals. His well-earned reputation as a major authority and theorist on copyright law is unassailable. In this new volumeand—a companion to his very well received Copyright: Sacred Text, Technology, and the DMCA, published by Kluwer in 2003and—Nimmer once again tackles some of the thorniest issues that arise in the practice of copyright law, including the following and much more: and• the work for hire doctri? and• repeat infringers; and• fair use determination; and and• substantial similarity of computer programs. Although the volume collects articles originally published between 1988 and 2006 (mostly in the past few years), Nimmer has scrupulously updated the texts and woven them together into a unified whole. What the book offers as a result is a microscopic scrutiny of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 and all its amendments, with an immeasurable abundance of interpretation grounded in the authorand’s unmatched familiarity with the law and its application. This is a work that no lawyer handling copyright casesand—or indeed no student or scholar of any branch of intellectual property lawand—will want to be without.

Driven by the growing reality of international terrorism, the threats to civil liberties and individual rights in America are greater today than at any time since the McCarthy era in the 1950s. At this critical time when individual freedoms are being weighed against the need for increased security, this exhaustive three-volume set provides the most detailed coverage of contemporary and historical issues relating to basic rights covered in the United States Constitution. The Encyclopedia of Civil Liberties in America examines the history and hotly contested debates surrounding the concept and practice of civil liberties. It provides detailed history of court cases, events, Constitutional amendments and rights, personalities, and themes that have had an impact on our freedoms in America. The Encyclopedia appraises the state of civil liberties in America today, and examines growing concerns over the limiting of personal freedoms for the common good. Complete with selected relevant documents and a chronology of civil liberties developments, and arranged in A-Z format with multiple indexes for quick reference, The Encyclopedia of Civil Liberties in America includes in-depth coverage of: freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly, as outlined in the first amendment; protection against unreasonable search and seizure, as outlined in the fourth amendment; criminal due process rights, as outlined in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth amendments; property rights, economic liberties, and other rights found within the text of the United States Constitution; Supreme Court justices, presidents, and other personalities, focusing specifically on their contributions to or effect on civil liberties; concepts, themes, and events related to civil liberties, both practical and theoretical; court cases and their impact on civil liberties.

Jewish copyright law is a rich body of jurisprudence that developed in parallel with modern copyright laws and the book privileges that preceded them. Jewish copyright law owes its origins to a reprinting ban that the Rome rabbinic court issued for three books of Hebrew grammar in 1518. It continues to be applied today, notably in a rabbinic ruling outlawing pirated software, issued at Microsoft's request. In From Maimonides to Microsoft, Professor Netanel traces the historical development of Jewish copyright law by comparing rabbinic reprinting bans with secular and papal book privileges and by relaying the stories of dramatic disputes among publishers of books of Jewish learning and liturgy.. He describes each dispute in its historical context and examines the rabbinic rulings that sought to resolve it. Remarkably, the rabbinic reprinting bans and copyright rulings address some of the same issues that animate copyright jurisprudence today: Is copyright a property right or just a right to receive fair compensation? How long should copyrights last? What purposes does copyright serve? While Jewish copyright law has borrowed from its secular law counterpart at key junctures, it fashions strikingly different answers to those key questions. The story of Jewish copyright law also intertwines with the history of the Jewish book trade and with steadfast efforts of rabbinic leaders to maintain their authority to regulate that trade in the face of the dramatic erosion of Jewish communal autonomy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This book will thus be of considerable interest to students of Jewish law and history as well as copyright scholars and practitioners.

"This newly revised and updated edition by respected copyright authority Crews offers timely insights and succinct guidance for LIS students,librarians, and educators alike"--

Consumption of copyright materials such as, books, music, games, has changed dramatically in the internet age. We no more consume them as tangible goods. Instead we consume them as digital goods, which have characteristics different from tangible goods. The first sale doctrine in copyright law has been applied to tangible copyright goods since it was codified in the United States of America’s Copyright Act of 1909. But due to the difference in the method of consumption of copyright goods, it is hard to apply the doctrine to digital ones. The question whether it should be applied to digital goods gained prominence when Redigi, a second hand market place for digital copyright goods, was sued by Capitol Records Inc. for infringing its copyright. Is it appropriate to abrogate the doctrine when it comes to digital goods or whether the doctrine should be applied irrespective of the method of consumption, takes centre stage. There are divergent views to this debate. In the European Union, after the UsedSoft case, the view is generally more favourable towards the application of the doctrine to digital goods, whereas, in the United States of America the view is more restrictive. But what copyright needs is a harmony between the divergent views, more favourably towards the views of the European Union, since, there have been technological advancements that do replicate the transfer of tangible goods in the digital domain. The doctrine of first sale is necessary in copyright law, irrespective of the method of consumption, as it tends to achieve a dual purpose. The first is public benefit. This it achieves by allowing more people to have access to literature and art. The second is economic benefit. It increases the overall economic activity by creating a market for second hand goods. But what should be kept in mind is that digital goods do have characteristics that make them easy to copy and distribute, which increases piracy. But should the answer to the problem lie in abrogating the doctrine for digital goods or in technology itself, there will be a problem. This is because once the doctrine has been abrogated, it will be almost impossible to reintroduce it, if and when technology should change and there rises a need for the doctrine. But if you let the doctrine be as it is and let technology accommodate the doctrine then it is much safer.

This book employs a comparative approach to comprehensively discuss hosting ISPs’ (Internet Service Providers') responsibilities for copyright infringement in the US, EU and China. In particular, it details how the current responsibility rules should be interpreted or revised so as to provide hosting ISPs maximum freedom to operate in these jurisdictions. In addition to examining relevant state regulations, the book assesses self-regulation norms agreed upon between copyright owners and hosting ISPs, and concludes that self-regulation is better suited to preserving hosting ISPs’ freedom to operate. The results of this study will be interesting for a broad readership, including academics and practitioners whose work involves hosting ISPs’ copyright responsibilities.