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Cyberproblems
- Should the merger of Microsoft and Intuit have been prevented?
- Should the government allow competition in the delivery of first
class mail?
- Do the Theme Parks at Disney World
use two-part tariffs? Why or why not?
- The ValuPage site allows
users to obtain discount coupons and rebates for a variety of branded
goods. Read the page and learn how to use it. What type of consumer
is most likely to use this page? Why is offering discount coupons and
rebates to this type of consumer likely to be a good business practice?
- Take a tour of Priceline.com.
How does Priceline.com work? Does Priceline.com represent a situation
where perfect price discrimination occurs? What are the
advantages and disadvantages to consumers of using this system?
What are the advantages and disadvantages to the airlines of using this
system? What do you think the impact of Priceline.com is on market
welfare?
- Writers, composers, painters, sculptors, and other "creative people"
have their work protected against unauthorized use by copyright law.
There are exceptions to copyright protections called "fair use." Under
the "fair use" doctrine, small portions of someone else's work can be
used without explicit authorization if there is adequate attribution
(i.e.
a student uses quotations with footnotes and a bibliography in a paper)
or if the portions are used for educational purposes. Until
now, the provisions of copyright law have been assumed to apply fully to
the online world (copyright law far preceded the Internet!).
The Digital Millennium Act explicitly deals with copyright protection in
cyberspace. Supporters of the Act claim it simply makes explicit what
has been assumed all along. Critics of the Act claim it provides
additional
protection to purveyors of online information, essentially nullifying
the
"fair use" doctrine. Critics say these protections will end
Web-browsing
as we know it.
Read the homepages of the
Association of American Publishers, a supporter of the Act, and the Digital Future Coalition, an opponent of
the Act.
What are the vital economic issues involved here? Who do you think is
right?
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