Internet Giants: The Law and Economics of Media Platforms

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/internetgiants

Introduction

### Course Review: Internet Giants: The Law and Economics of Media Platforms #### Overview The course "Internet Giants: The Law and Economics of Media Platforms," offered on Coursera, is an engaging seven-week journey into the intricacies of law, economics, and the transformative power of media platforms. Although the course was launched in July 2015 and hasn’t been updated since, it provides valuable insights for students, professionals, and anyone intrigued by the past dynamics of technology and regulation, especially in the United States compared to global perspectives. #### Course Highlights Throughout the course, participants explore the historical evolution and legal frameworks surrounding significant tech giants like Microsoft and Google. Delivered through a series of well-structured modules, each focuses on distinct themes that highlight the interplay between technological advancements, economic growth, and legal standards. - **Module Breakdown**: - *Microsoft: The Desktop vs. The Internet*: This module dives into Microsoft's ascent and subsequent legal challenges, providing a clear understanding of antitrust issues related to tech monopolies. - *Google Emerges (and the World Responds)*: Examine Google's journey and the implications of its market strategies, including a look at two-sided markets and key antitrust concerns in both U.S. and European Union contexts. - *Smartphones*: The module discusses the convergence of public policy and private sector innovation that birthed the smartphone era, exploring significant standards such as 802.11 and the pivotal roles played by major players like Apple and Google. - *Nondiscrimination and Neutrality*: A critical look into network neutrality, establishing a foundation for understanding contemporary debates about the open Internet. - *The Day the Music Died?*: An examination of the evolution of music distribution technologies and the legal landscapes that molded them, from the phonograph to digital streaming services like Spotify. - *Video: Listening and Watching*: This segment chronicles the historical context and legal challenges involved in the video distribution space, including the birth of cable TV and digital streaming. - *The Mediated Book*: This module investigates digital literature and libraries, emphasizing major players like Google and Amazon. - *Course Review*: The final module allows students to consolidate their learning and reflect on key takeaways. - *Internet Giants: Experimental*: Offering innovative ideas for further interaction and exploration, this experimental module introduces students to potential future content. #### Learning Experience The content is presented through a blend of video lectures, readings, and assessments that aim to foster an interactive learning environment. The course encourages critical thinking about the implications of media platform laws, encouraging participants to analyze and relate historical events to modern scenarios. While the original course material is undoubtedly informative, it's essential to note that the content has not been updated since its launch in 2015. Given the fast-paced nature of technology and the ever-evolving legal landscape surrounding media platforms, prospective students should factor this into their decision-making process. #### Target Audience This course is ideal for law students, professionals in the tech industry, policy makers, and anyone with a keen interest in understanding how media platforms shape economies and societies. While prior knowledge of economics or law can enhance comprehension, the course is designed to be accessible to newcomers. #### Recommendation Overall, "Internet Giants: The Law and Economics of Media Platforms" is an insightful course that encourages participants to explore the foundational legal and economic questions surrounding influential media platforms. Despite the dated material, the historical context provided offers a crucial backdrop for understanding recent developments in the tech landscape. However, potential participants seeking the most recent developments in media law and technology may want to complement this course with more up-to-date resources or look for revised offerings. For those looking to build a foundational understanding of the historical evolution of law and media economics, this course remains highly recommended. For individuals interested in a comprehensive yet digestible exploration of the intersection between technology, law, and economics, I highly recommend enrolling in this course. Its analytical approach provides a context that is as crucial today as ever, urging us to consider the ongoing implications of how information and technology change hands.

Syllabus

Introduction to the Course

THIS VERSION OF THIS COURSE WAS LAUNCHED IN JULY 2015 AND HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE THEN. MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN SO YOU SHOULD CONSIDER ANOTHER COURSE FOR MORE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. ************************************************************** This is a course on the law and economics of media platforms. Media delivery is frequently organized around a set of tools that bring together different parties to interact. Edison’s phonograph and wax cylinders did that, bringing together music producers and consumers wanting to listen to music at home, but so does Microsoft Windows, which sits between software developers and computer users.

In this module, we will focus on Microsoft and its arc from start up to dominance and repeated antitrust target. We will look at the technology leading to the personal computer and the release of the IBM PC in August, 1981 and then the rise of Microsoft from there. We will turn to antitrust actions against Microsoft, first in the United States in 1994 for its MS-DOS licensing practices and then again in the United States in 1998 for its response to the Internet and Netscape Navigator. We will then turn to two competition policy actions against Microsoft in Europe.

In this module, we will focus on Google and its arc from 1998 start up to dominance and repeated antitrust target. We will look at the underlying tech, two-sided markets and auctions and then at antitrust investigations in the U.S. and the EU.

In this module, we will focus on the emergence of the smartphones platform. That is an interesting mix of government policy (especially regarding spectrum), collective private activity (standard setting, such as that for the 802.11 standard and for Wi-Fi), and individual private actions (such as that leading to the Apple iPhone and the Android platform).

In this module, we will focus on the issue of network neutrality, or, as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission likes to put it, the open Internet.

In this module, we will focus on different platforms for distributing music. That will start with the great home technology of the early 1900s—the phonograph and the player piano—before turning to radio and the ASCAP and BMI licensing regime for public performances. We then will turn to a failed technology and legal regime, digital audio tape and the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992. We will then switch to MP3 players, from the relatively obscure (the Diamond Rio) to the ubiquitous (the iPod) and to Apple’s digital rights management regime. We will then switch to the issues raised by peer-to-peer software like Napster and Grokster and then close with an examination of the switch from physical distribution media to digital and subscriptions like Spotify.

In this module, we will focus on the different platforms for delivering video to the home. We will start with the history of TV in the U.S. in the 1940s and then jump to the copyright issues associated with the creation of cable TV in the 1960s and 1970s. We will then switch to considering two devices (the VCR and the DVD player), two services (Netflix and Aereo) and then creation of digital TV.

In this module, we will focus on the emergence of digital books and digital libraries. Three topics loom large: (1) Google’s efforts to copy millions of books and bring them online through Google Books; (2) Amazon’s creation of the Kindle ebook platform; and (3) Apple’s launch of the iPad with its associated bookstore and the resulting antitrust lawsuit over that launch.

We review the entire course in this last module.

Done with the course? Wondering what comes next? Me, too, but this is where the experimental module comes in. A module to test other ways to interact and to explore ideas that might appear in future versions of the course.

This course has been approved for continuing legal education credit in Illinois and this section describes the process for obtaining that credit.