All posts in GENERAL LAW

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S SAFE HARBOR See Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Title II SEARCH ENGINE A search engine is a computer program that locates files stored on one or more computers. The user specifies values, such as words, numbers, or dates, for the files sought; the search engine then examines the files in . . . Read more

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J JUNK EMAIL See Spam JURISDICTION Even in the absence of the Internet it is possible for an act in one state or country to have legally significant consequences in another. But the advent of the Internet makes multiple-jurisdiction transactions the norm rather than the exception. In very little time, . . . Read more

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N NAPSTER See File-Sharing and the Courts (Attempts to Control Technology) NCIPA See Children’s Internet Protection Act NET NEUTRALITY According to proponents of net neutrality (also known as network or Internet neutrality), the Internet functions best (and most fairly) if Internet service providers (ISPs) do not discriminate among users or . . . Read more

and the Law

A AACS See Advanced Access Content System ABANDONWARE Abandonware is software that is no longer being sold or supported by its author, copyright owner, or licensed distributor. Software that is still being sold, but no longer supported, is sometimes also referred to as abandonware. Software becomes abandonware for various reasons. . . . Read more

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I ICANN See Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers IDENTITY THEFT Identity theft is the assumption of another’s identity. The most common motive for identity theft is fraud; the criminal assumes the victim’s identity in order to use the victim’s credit cards, open new credit card accounts, make purchases, . . . Read more

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W WAREZ “Warez” is a now-dated term in now-equally dated leetspeak for unauthorized copies of copyrighted computer software, unlawfully traded over the Internet or directly between users. The term is sometimes also used to refer to unauthorized copies of other types of copyrighted material, particularly movies. Warez trading begins with . . . Read more