Topic “copyright law”

Harry Lewis reflects on "an act for the encouragement of learning" in the Harvard Crimson

Overcoming the Achilles Heel of Copyright Law

This article challenges the legitimacy of the three-step test which sets up a one-size-fits-all standard for copyright protection. It also puts forward a proposal aimed at reshaping the three-step test. Moreover, this article argues that the inquiry into the legitimacy of the three-step test necessitates a careful reexamination of the conventional wisdom of copyright law in general and the nature of copyright limitations in particular.

authored by haochen sun, published on 1 jul 2007

Copyright and Digital Media in a Post-Napster World: International Supplement

This Supplement to the White Paper focuses on international legal issues. It considers developments regarding copyright and related rights in jurisdictions outside the United States against the backdrop of earlier Digital Media Project works that reviewed the interplay among law, technology and the business ecosystem.

authored by urs gasser, mike mcguire, published on 2 jan 2005

Copyright and Digital Media in a Post-Napster World - Version 2 - January 2005 Update

The focus of this White Paper is on the issues confronting U.S. copyright holders and consumers. An International Supplement to this White Paper deals with international legal and regulatory issues.

published on 2 jan 2005

Amicus Brief: MGM vs. Grokster (Supreme Court Case No. 04-480)

In Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984), this Court held that the manufacture and distribution of technology that is sometimes used to engage in copyright infringement does not give rise to secondary liability so long as the technology in question is “capable of substantial noninfringing uses.”

authored by william fisher, john palfrey, jonathan zittrain, published on 1 mar 2005

The Digital Learning Challenge: Obstacles to Educational Uses of Copyrighted Material in the Digital Age

This foundational white paper reports on a year-long study by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, examining the relationship between copyright law and education. In particular, we wanted to explore whether innovative educational uses of digital technology were hampered by the restrictions of copyright. We found that provisions of copyright law concerning the educational use of copyrighted material, as well as the business and institutional structures shaped by that law, are among the most important obstacles to realizing the potential of digital technology in education.

authored by william fisher, john palfrey, william mcgeveran, jackie harlow, urs gasser, peter jaszi, published on 10 aug 2006

Berkman Center for Internet & Society