Internet Law Commons^™

The Generative Internet, Jonathan Zittrain

Jonathan Zittrain

The generative capacity for unrelated and unaccredited audiences to build and distribute code and content through the Internet to its tens of millions of attached personal computers has ignited growth and innovation in information technology and has facilitated new creative endeavors. It has also given rise to regulatory and entrepreneurial backlashes. A further backlash among consumers is developing in response to security threats that exploit the openness of the Internet and of PCs to third-party contribution. A shift in consumer priorities from generativity to stability will compel undesirable responses from regulators and markets and, if unaddressed, could prove decisive in …

Spam Works: Evidence From Stock Touts And Corresponding Market Activit, Jonathan Zittrain

Jonathan Zittrain

We assess the impact of spam that touts stocks upon the trading activity of those stocks and sketch how profitable such spamming might be for spammers and how harmful it is to those who heed advice in stock-touting e-mails. We find convincing evidence that stock prices are being manipulated through spam. We suggest that the effectiveness of spammed stock touting calls into question prevailing models of securities regulation that rely principally on the proper labeling of information and disclosure of conflicts of interest as means of protecting consumers, and we propose several regulatory and industry interventions. Based on a large …

Software And Internet Law, Peter Menell, Mark Lemley, Robert Merges, Pamela Samuelson

Peter Menell

No abstract provided.

Fear And Norms And Rock & Roll: What Jambands Can Teach Us About Persuading People To Obey Copyright Law, Mark F. Schultz

Mark F Schultz

Conventional wisdom says that people using modern technology are unlikely to obey copyright law, absent fear of lawsuits or extremely strong copy protection. This Article challenges that conventional wisdom. It explores why people obey copyright law and concludes that people can be persuaded to obey copyright voluntarily, provided that copyright owners can encourage the development of pro-copyright social norms.

This Article contributes to both the social norms and the copyright literature by explaining how pro-copyright social norms might be fostered from a behavioral trait known as reciprocity. It draws insight from a case study of a community of music fans …

The Blogosphere And The New Pamphleteers, Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

The future of the free dissemination of information lies in the blog, some may say. The internet has entirely transformed how we receive and consume information. It’s the newest incarnation of information dissemination. From the insights of Alexis de Tocqueville, “Feelings and opinions are recruited, the heart is enlarged, and the human mind is developed only by the reciprocal influence of men upon one another.” Bloggers are a powerful force in the distribution of information and ideas and the creation of communities of conversation. Throughout history, the dissemination of information, news, opinions, and ideas has continuously transformed. In the 18th …