Copyright's Highway: From Gutenberg to the Celestial Jukebox

By Paul Goldstein

Book Overview

From eighteenth-century copyright law, to current-day copyright issues on the internet, to tomorrow's "celestial jukebox"--a digital repository of books, movies, and music available on demand--Paul... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809053810
• ISBN13: 9780809053810
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Hill & Wang
• Length: 261 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Overview of copyright history through court cases

Copyright's Highway is not an overview of or introduction to copyright law. Rather it gives clearly written descriptions of the histories of some influential court cases relating to copyright and slanted towards copyright issues on the internet. Despite the title this book is very much slanted to the celestial jukebox and away from Guetenburg - after the second chapter we are in the 20th century. Goldstein presents the history of copyright law in the US through court cases and not laws. The three cases described in great detail each with a chapter to itself are Williams and Wilkins vs the United States in which it was ruled that libraries can make xeroxes of copyrighted material, the Betamax Decision and a discussion of a lawsuit in French courts in which Ted Turner was blocked from showing a colorized version of The Asphalt Jungle in France. With the exception of the French case, which shows how US copyright law is based on very different principles than in Europe, these are cases that are getting alot of attention right now as people try to make sense of the internet. Trying to reconcile US copyright with copyright laws elsewhere is a big issue but not as pressing as for example whether I will be arrested for downloading all those mp3s. Many other cases are discussed in less detail. The selection of cases is excellent and it would benefit everyone to understand these cases. The final chapter of Copyright's Highway looks to the future and gives various speculations about what will happen with copyright on the internet. Here the idea of the Celestial Jukebox, a sattelite from which all information in existence can be accessed by people on earth for a price, is described. Other issues include the pending lack of historical data because electronic publications can be modified and restrictions on copying can contribute to there being one source for any document, so older editions are not available for comparison. This chapter ties in the history Goldstein has described with restrictions and freedoms that will affect us in the near future. It may also date this book as time passes. I reccommend Copyright's Highway to those who want a better understanding of current issues in copyright and how we got where we are in relation to copyright. It is very readable and presents detailed facts in an entertaining way.

An excellent book

This is not intended as a survey of copyright, although it does succeed admirably in introducing nonlawyers to the field and defining the major themes for those already in the field. Its primary focus, however, is upon several key cases and key issues, which are explored in detail, partly through the eyes of some of the major participants. This is of course a bit dated, and it is, alas, out of print. But if you at all interested in reading an overview from the undisputed master in the field, track down and read this book. Whether you're already into copyright or just wanting to find out about it, you'll come away with an enriched understanding of copyright. -Edward Samuels, author of The Illustrated Story of Copyright