The Sony Paradox
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-2005
Abstract
Senator Orrin Hatch's introduction of the "Induce Act" in the summer of 2004 transformed the ongoing debate over the legality, morality, and economics of peer-to-peer file sharing into a debate over Sony v. Universal Studios, at least among the copyright cognoscenti. Fans of the Sony decision insist that the legal rule announced in the case made the world safe for innovation. The Sony standard, they tell us, is "the only thing that protects your right to own a VCR, tape recorder, CD-burner, DVD-burner, iPod, or TiVo. It's that important. Sony, they claim, has for twenty years shielded innovators from copyright infringement suits and enabled the rapid technological advances that permit us to enjoy an unparalleled wealth of media.
Recommended Citation
Litman, Jessica D. "The Sony Paradox." Case Western Reserve Law Review 55, no. 4 (2005): 917-961. (Work published when author not on Michigan Law faculty.)