iTunes: How Copyright, Contract, and Technology Shape the Business of Digital Media—A Case Study

Presented as research in progress, this paper analyzes the complex copyright, contract, and digital rights legal environment surrounding music download services in general and Apple's iTunes service in particular. The paper was developed by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, and is the latest in a series looking at how the digital revolution is changing law, business models, and consumer behavior. One potentially disturbing finding for consumers identified in this paper is that legal and regulatory protections globally seem to be shifting to favor copyright holders at the expense of user freedom. This paper, which is in Adobe pdf format, is required reading for anyone involved in digital media, or who wishes to better understand the social and legal issues now in play. The authors encourage feedback.