'Safe Harbor' for the Innocent Infringer in the Digital Age

Abstract

The primary goal of this Article is three-fold: (1) to explore the role of the innocent infringer archetype historically and in the digital age; (2) to highlight the tension between customary and generally accepted online uses and copyright law that compromise efficient use of technology and progress of the digital technologies, the Internet, and society at large; and (3) to offer a legislative fix in the form of safe harbor for direct innocent infringers. Such an exemption seems not only more efficient but also more just in the online environment where unwitting infringement for the average copyright consumer is far easier than ever to commit, extremely difficult to police, and often causes little, if any, cognizable market harm.

Keywords: copyright, infringement, safe harbor exemption, online service providers, DMCA, liability, infringe, internet

JEL Classification: K00, K1, K3, K39, O34