CBO: Copyright Issues in Digital Media

This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) paper reviews current copyright law in the United States and considers the unique aspects of digital technology's challenge to that law. It also examines the prospects for a market-based resolution to copyright disputes over digital content and explores the effect of potential revisions to copyright law on economic efficiency and equity. While this analysis suggests some issues and concerns that the Congress may wish to consider during its deliberations about any changes in copyright law, in keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis, the paper makes no policy recommendations.