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

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

G GAMBLING Among the most popular and controversial Internet businesses is gambling. Gambling is illegal or restricted in most of the United States, but there is little to stop individual users from sitting at home and gambling. In 2009, the value of the Internet gambling industry was estimated at $25.8 . . . Read more

C CABLE Broadband Internet access can be provided to homes and businesses over special lines dedicated to the purpose, or more cheaply over existing telephone or cable television lines, or wirelessly via cell phone or satellite networks. For home users, the cost of a dedicated broadband line other than a . . . Read more

B BACKUP COPIES It is not clear whether consumers of a copyrighted work have the right to make at least one backup or archival copy of the work, so that they will still have access to the work if the original is damaged or destroyed. One view is that such . . . Read more

E E-BOOKS E-books are books in electronic form: large text files, sometimes with included images, that can be read on computers, dedicated e-book readers, or mobile devices. Because e-books are original works fixed in a tangible medium of expression, they are subject to copyright protection; because they are digitally recorded . . . Read more

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