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Sean Chen
Mr. Rogers/Per. 4
U.S. Government
24 October 2016
Internet Regulation
The world has entered in the world where technology has developed and copyright issues
start to form. Internet regulation is a restriction of certain information on the internet. Internet
regulation consists of censorship of data and copyright issues. The controversy behind this act is
that it mostly affects the peoples freedom of speech. The public feels that the government is not
completely opening up the internet and the other information that are restricted from them. One
of the reason why the government is doing this is because it prevents children to see explicit
material. The bill to amend Section 108 of the Copyright Act should become a law because it
would disable censorship from the internet, allow people to create improved work of their own
upon other copyrighted work, and have the right to reproduce copyrighted work to the public by
the expansion preservation copying.
Disabling censorship from the internet would allow people to gain free access to any
information online. Censorship is basically a filter that prevents free access to information on the
internet. Almost 70% of the demands for censorship are directed at material in school classrooms
and libraries. This shows that students might have a difficult time finding sources for research
projects or for other academic purposes (The First Amendment in Schools: How Big a Problem
is Censorship). Censorship is in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. This
reveals that the people are unable to have the right of freedom of speech (VanderLeest and

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Nyhoff). As far as being unable to access certain information on the internet, the public are
unable to show the world their creativity.
Many copyrighted work such as artwork, novels, or animations are outdated and could
use a replacement with another persons idea of improvement. Media industries such as Disney
rely on the copyright law to prevent harmful work affecting the cultural and scientific progress.
The original creators are afraid that the public could change what their work meant in the first
place and wont allow them to show their creativity (What are the major criticisms of the
copyright laws in the US?). It is established in various jurisdictions that one is privileged to
use a copyrighted work to extract its unprotected content ( I. 1185). The problem is by
extracting content from a copyrighted work, its considered as copyright infringement and the
fine is $250,000. The use of copyrighted work to make room for improvement is a great way to
show creativity, but it hasnt been so easy due to copyright issues. The new solution to that
problem would be to distribute reproduced copyright work from preservation.
Preservation copying is a convenient way to have a copy of the original creators work
under certain circumstances. A copy of reproduction is not allowed to be used for commercial
purposes (Copyright Act 1976, As Amended). This shows that you cant be allowed to use
someone elses work and take the credit for it. For libraries, digital technology represents a
significantly better method of preservation, improved ways to deliver copies of reproduced
works to users at their request and enhanced ability to search and use these copies (Gasaway).
The development of technology has certainly improved over the years and are now able to
receive copies of reproduced copyrighted works with a click of a button. The creator of their
copyright work give exclusive rights to allow reproduction and the distribution of the copies
(Copyright Facts). At the same time, and as our copyright law appropriately reflects, authors,

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artists, and other creators have the exclusive right to control and exploit their works; our goal is
to ensure that we achieve the right balance. As much as this bill will help open up the internet
and balance the copyright issue, there is oppositions to it as well.
There are individuals that are agreeing that censorship should be kept on the internet.
60% of people in North America are more affected by internet censorship compared to 54% of
people in Europe (Gaille). There is about ten percent more of the world that is affected by not
having free access to information on the internet compared to others. Children are gaining more
access to the Internet and there are some problems that need to be considered, such as the risk
that a child may be exposed to inappropriate material of a sexual or violent nature (Qazi).
Explicit content being exposed to children and others is not the reason why the world is the way
it is; Parents trust their children to be on the internet, and not all children look up unsuitable
material on the internet.
By gaining free accessible information on the internet to the public, allowing people to
show their creativity upon other works, and having the rights to have hands-on copies of
copyrighted work finally gives people a censorship free world on the internet and on other
valuable resources. On a larger issue, not many people have the luxury of the internet. We the
people should declare this bill as a law to amend Section 108 of the Copyright Act to permit
expanded preservation copying and permanently get rid of internet censorship.

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Works Cited
The First Amendment in Schools: How Big a Problem is Censorship. Ncac.org. National
Coalition Against Censorship. Web. 6 September 2016.
H. VanderLeest, Steven and Nyhoff Jeffery. Internet Censorship. Calvin.edu, 2005. Web. 6
October 2016.
New Media Rights. What are the major criticisms of the copyright laws in the US?
Newmediarights.org. New Media Rights, 25 November 2011. Web. 6 September 2016.
I, Michael. Machine as readers: A solution to the copyright problem. Carnegie Mellon
University, 2005. Print.
Copyright Act 1976, As Amended. Law.cornell.edu. Cornell Law School. Web. 18 September
2016.
N. Gasaway, Laura. Amending The Copyright Act For Libraries And Society. Unc.edu. 2006.
Web. 9 October 2016.
Copyright Facts. Colorado.edu. University of Colorado Boulder. Web. 18 September 2016.
Gaille. Brandon. 32 Amazing Internet Censorship Statistics. Brandongaille.com. Brandon
Gaille, 7 February 2015. Web. 9 October 2016.
Qazi, Usman. The Internet Censorship Controversy. Courses.cs.vt.edu, Spring 1996. Web. 8
October 2016.