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Five Scenarios for Digital Media in a Post-Napster World

Published

This document—a joint effort between GartnerG2 and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society—presents five possible scenarios for copyright law applicable to digital media in the United States.

Descriptions of each scenario were developed by Professor William Fisher and John Palfrey of the Berkman Center at Harvard Law School. The outcomes of each scenario were developed by GartnerG2 as “first takes” on the implications that changes in copyright law will have on future business models and markets.

The intent of this paper is to spark reasoned discussion and debate that can assist in the development of new business models for the entertainment industry, artists and technology companies, while enabling consumers to legitimately acquire and manipulate copyrighted digital media.

These scenarios were the basis for several working sessions at the upcoming conference sponsored by the Berkman Center and GartnerG2, to be held 18 September 2003 at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Feedback from those work sessions was compiled and posted on both the GartnerG2 and Berkman Web sites.

This document is a supplement to “Copyright and Digital Media in a Post-Napster World”.