Copyright laws worldwide were created for a publishing world where books were tangible, printed in a limited number and sold within territory based markets. Technological changes are giving place to a new book market where books are intangible, exist in unlimited number of copies and travel worldwide in an increasingly global market. In this emerging global book market made possible by the conjunction of the Internet, e-book technologies, DRM and print on demand devices, the three important legal concepts traditionally used in copyright laws have become obsolete: territory, property and the Aristotelian idea of justice. These three concepts were well suited to the tangible book market but are no longer for the virtual book market where persons matter more than objects. This book invites the reader to explore the specific functioning of the virtual economy. It proposes guidelines to modernize copyright law so that it can foster an adequate use of new communication technologies. For the first time in History, the humankind has acquired a technology that allows to create a world of information affluence and freedom of speech or its opposite. This book explains why the option for abundance and freedom must prevail, how the law can support this movement and what would be, to the contrary, the disastrous consequences of the other option. This book goes beyond a simple reflection on the book market and considers the choice of society, even of civilization implied by the use, right or wrong, of the new communication technologies.

In the increasingly complex and combative arena of copyright in the digital age, record companies sue college students over peer-to-peer music sharing, YouTube removes home movies because of a song playing in the background, and filmmakers are denied a distribution deal when some permissions “i” proves undottable. Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi chart a clear path through the confusion by urging a robust embrace of a principle long-embedded in copyright law, but too often poorly understood—fair use. By challenging the widely held notion that current copyright law has become unworkable and obsolete in the era of digital technologies, Reclaiming Fair Use promises to reshape the debate in both scholarly circles and the creative community. This indispensable guide distills the authors’ years of experience advising documentary filmmakers, English teachers, performing arts scholars, and other creative professionals into no-nonsense advice and practical examples for content producers. Reclaiming Fair Use begins by surveying the landscape of contemporary copyright law—and the dampening effect it can have on creativity—before laying out how the fair-use principle can be employed to avoid copyright violation. Finally, Aufderheide and Jaszi summarize their work with artists and professional groups to develop best practice documents for fair use and discuss fair use in an international context. Appendixes address common myths about fair use and provide a template for creating the reader’s own best practices. Reclaiming Fair Use will be essential reading for anyone concerned with the law, creativity, and the ever-broadening realm of new media.

Professor Litman's work stands out as well-researched, doctrinally solid, and always piercingly well-written.-JANE GINSBURG, Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property, Columbia UniversityLitman's work is distinctive in several respects: in her informed historical perspective on copyright law and its legislative policy; her remarkable ability to translate complicated copyright concepts and their implications into plain English; her willingness to study, understand, and take seriously what ordinary people think copyright law means; and her creativity in formulating alternatives to the copyright quagmire. -PAMELA SAMUELSON, Professor of Law and Information Management; Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, University of California, BerkeleyIn 1998, copyright lobbyists succeeded in persuading Congress to enact laws greatly expanding copyright owners' control over individuals' private uses of their works. The efforts to enforce these new rights have resulted in highly publicized legal battles between established media and new upstarts.In this enlightening and well-argued book, law professor Jessica Litman questions whether copyright laws crafted by lawyers and their lobbyists really make sense for the vast majority of us. Should every interaction between ordinary consumers and copyright-protected works be restricted by law? Is it practical to enforce such laws, or expect consumers to obey them? 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 an incoherent patchwork. She argues for reforms that reflect common sense and the way people actually behave in their daily digital interactions.This paperback edition includes an afterword that comments on recent developments, such as the end of the Napster story, the rise of peer-to-peer file sharing, the escalation of a full-fledged copyright war, the filing of lawsuits against thousands of individuals, and the June 2005 Supreme Court decision in the Grokster case.Jessica Litman (Ann Arbor, MI) is professor of law at Wayne State University and a widely recognized expert on copyright law.

In this text, the author tracks the history of American copyright law through the 20th century, from Mark Twain's exhortations for 'thick' copyright protection, to recent lawsuits regarding sampling in rap music and the 'digital moment', exemplified by the rise of Napster and MP3 technology.

'(E-Copyright Law Handbook) offers more than enough substance for turning even the novice general-practice attorney into a full-bodied copyright specialist.' --Legal Information Alert (Volume 22, Issue 3). Alert Publications, Inc. Chicago, IL www.alertpub.com How far do the laws of copyright protection extend in the new digital age? E-Copyright Law Handbook answers this and many other critical questions that impact owners of copyright-protected material. Prepared by a team of successful intellectual property attorneys, The Handbook is a single-volume guide to focus on copyright technical developments and legal decisions so attorneys can advise clients on how to protect and exploit their digital content online. Concise, easy-to-read, yet comprehensive in scope, The Handbook offers an analysis of E-copyright transactions in computer/software, sound recordings, literary works, motion pictures, television and audio visual works, and visual arts. it also covers: The elements of copyright infringement the intricacies of international copyright laws Copyright infringement actions the limitation of liability for online copyright infringement and copyright protection in cyberspace Up-to-the-minute coverage includes new statutes in copyright law including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act And The Uniform Copyright Information Technology Act. The Handbook 's user-friendly format provides easy access to practice tips,useful forms,an index of all the applicable statutes and a listing of additional legal resources for practitioners.