North America

USA

General

U. S. Telecommunications Act of 1996

U.S. Telecommunications since the 1996 Telecom Act By Robert Crandall, Brookings Institution Press, 2005.

Connecting the Globe: A Regulator’s Guide to Building a Global Information Community From the United States Federal Communications Commission.

Compilation of Selected Acts within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and Commerce: Communications Law US Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Committee Print 109-C, 109th Cong., 1st Sess. (October 2005).

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 47 United States Federal Communications Commission Rules.

Access to Information

United States Freedom of Information Act Includes amendments through 2007.

Openness Promotes Effectiveness in Our National Government Act of 2007 Otherwise known as the US Congress OPEN Government Act of 2007, PL 110-175 (Dec. 31 2007).

A Citizen’s Guide On Using The Freedom Of Information Act And The Privacy Act Of 1974 To Request Government Records US Congress, Committee on Government Reform, Second Report. HR Rept. 109-226 (2005)

Open government: Reinvigorating the Freedom of Information Act US Congress, Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary, 110th Cong., 1st Sess. (March 14, 2007).

Freedom of Information Act Guide From the United States Department of Justice, May 2004. “The FOIA Guide is an extensive discussion of the Act’s exemptions and its procedural aspects that is prepared by the Department of Justice’s Office of Information and Privacy.”

FOIA Reference Guide US Department of Justice, May 2006. Details how to make a FOIA request to the US Dept of Justice, and list of contacts at other agencies.

US Department of Justice FOIA Case List “An alphabetical compilation of judicial decisions, both published and unpublished, addressing access issues under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. ? 552 (2000), and the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. ? 552a (2000).” Includes text of FOIA, Privacy Act, Government in the Sunshine Act (open meetings) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Freedom of Expression

United States Constitution

Reporters’ Committee for Freedom of the Press, The First Amendment Handbook

Summary of first amendment law A brief but useful summary of case law relating to the first amendment of the United States constitution.

Sources and Summary of First Amendment Law From the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Intellectual Property

Copyright Law The copyright law of the United States and related laws contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.

Copyright Office Basics An readable guide to the U.S. copyright law.

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 37: Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights

Ensuring content protection in the digital age US Congress Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet: hearing before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. 107th Cong., 2nd Sess. (2002).

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. v. Grokster, 545 U.S. 913 Relevant 2005 case law.

Supreme Court opinion
Transcript of argument

Internet Law

Beyond Our Control?: Confronting the Limits of Our Legal System in the Age of Cyberspace By Stuart Biegel, MIT Press, 2001. Synopsis and reviews: http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=17-9780262524162-6 Excerpt: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/call-for-realism.htm

Media Ethics

National Association of Broadcasters Statement of Principles

American Society of Newspaper Editors Statement of Principles

Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

What are the Ethics of On-Line Journalism? By Robert Niles, Online Journalism Review.