In the political fight over copyright, internet advocacy has reshaped the playing
field. This was shown most dramatically in the 2012 “SOPA blackout,” when
the largest online protest in history stopped two copyright bills in their tracks.
For those not already familiar with the debate, this protest seemingly came out
of nowhere, yet it was the culmination of an intellectual and political evolution
more than a decade in the making.
This book examines the debate over digital copyright, from the late 1980s
through early 2012, and the new tools of political communication involved in
the advocacy around the issue. Drawing on methods from legal studies, political
science, and communication, it explores the rise of a coalition seeking more
limited copyright, as well as how these early-adopting, technology-savvy policy
advocates used online communication to shock the world. It compares key bills,
congressional debates, and offline and online media coverage using quantitative
and qualitative methods to create a study that is rigorously researched yet also
accessible to a general audience.
Bill D. Herman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Media
Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York. He earned a Ph.D. from
the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, in 2009.
His work has appeared in journals such as Yale Journal of Law & Technology,
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Communication Law & Policy,
and Federal Communication Law Journal.