Computer Law Review and Technology Journal
Abstract
The Internet has so completely permeated our lives in the past ten years that often we do not fully realize how truly revolutionary this technology is or how many legal issues and problems it can present. At its most basic level, the Internet is a system of worldwide computer networks that transfer data. To the ordinary user, the Internet is an all-purpose essential tool used to do everything from checking e-mail and reading the news to playing games and sharing music, pictures, and ideas. The power to share ideas and communicate with people all around the globe is the Internet's most powerful feature. The Internet enables the transfer of large amounts of information with great speed. This, in turn, allows users to transfer files including pictures, music, and movies in violation of copyright laws. Additionally, the numerous message boards and e-mail accounts allow publication of statements concerning virtually any and every topic.
One of our most cherished liberties in the United States is our freedom of expression, with only a very few, yet extremely necessary limitations imposed on us by the government. With this freedom, however, comes the potential for injustice. Because the Internet allows the exercise of our freedoms to exponentially increase, it facilitates an equally exponential increase in violations of our copyright and defamation laws. Copyright law aims to prevent people from copying others' original works, while defamation law focuses on protecting reputations of individuals. The Internet's capability to transfer large amounts of information with great speed enables users to steal ideas from the works of others by transferring files and using them to their own advantage
Recommended Citation
Cyrus S. J. Manekshaw,
Liability of ISPs: Immunity from Liability under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Communications Decency Act,
10
Computer L. Rev. & Tech. J.
101
(2005)
