Restoring the Balance of Copyright: Antitrust, Misuse, and Other Possible Paths to Challenge Inequitable Licensing Practices
![handle is hein.journals/llj114 and id is 134 raw text is: LAW LIBRARY JOURNAL Vol. 114:2 [2022-6]
Restoring the Balance of Copyright:
Antitrust, Misuse, and Other Possible Paths to
Challenge Inequitable Licensing Practices*
Michelle M. Wu**
Libraries' purposes of ensuring access to and preservation of information have been com-
promised as licensing increasingly replaces ownership. This article outlines various novel
legal strategies that libraries could use to restore copyright's intended balance, including
antitrust, preemption, misuse, and unconscionability.
Introduction..........................................................................................................................131
Copyright's Purposes, Fair Use, and Libraries .................................................................132
The Unbalancing of Copyright in Libraries .....................................................................136
Harmful Licensing Practices or Terms..............................................................................138
Restoring Balance.................................................................................................................138
Possible Legal Pathways.......................................................................................................140
Sale v. License...................................................................................................................140
Preemption .......................................................................................................................143
Antitrust............................................................................................................................ 144
Tying............................................................................................................................. 146
Unreasonable Restraint of Trade ..............................................................................154
Misuse ...............................................................................................................................155
Refusal to Deal............................................................................................................157
Unreasonable Costs ....................................................................................................159
Unconscionability Doctrine...........................................................................................162
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................165
Introduction
¶1 As licensing has grown as a preferred method for information delivery, the bal-
ance in copyright intended by the Founders and Congress has been upended. Licensing
© Michelle M. Wu, 2022.
Retired law library director and professor of law. Formerly the law library director at Georgetown
University Law Center, Hofstra Law School, and the University of Houston Law School.
131](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/llj114&div=22&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Restoring the Balance of Copyright: Antitrust, Misuse, and Other Possible Paths to Challenge Inequitable Licensing Practices
Contact us for annual subscription options:
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