Beyond Our Control?

This book provides a framework for thinking about the law and cyberspace,
examining the extent to which the Internet is currently under control and the extent
to which it can or should be controlled. It focuses in part on the proliferation of
MP3 file sharing, a practice made possible by the development of a file format that
enables users to store large audio files with near-CD sound quality on a computer.
By 1998, software available for free on the Web enabled users to copy existing
digital files from CDs. Later technologies such as Napster and Gnutella allowed
users to exchange MP3 files in cyberspace without having to post anything online.
This ability of online users to download free music caused an uproar among music
executives and many musicians, as well as a range of much-discussed legal
action.Regulation strategies identified and discussed include legislation, policy
changes, administrative agency activity, international cooperation, architectural
changes, private ordering, and self-regulation. The book also applies major
regulatory models to some of the most volatile Internet issues, including
cyber-security, consumer fraud, free speech rights, intellectual property rights,
and file-sharing programs.