Stanford Center for Internet and Society

I must admit that I enjoy occasionally perusing the celebrity gossip websites. The salacious tidbits on these sites instill a reassuring sense of normalcy and stability in the mundane life of a law student. Pictures of Britney Spears shaving her head and Nicole Ritchie wasting away have a shock value that make one appreciate their grasp on reality and potential for longevity in this world.

So, thanks to the Librarian of Congress, film professors and media studies professors can now make a compilation of film clips for class without breaking the law. But ONLY film professors and media studies professors.

From the Copyright Office’s website:

The Librarian of Congress, on the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, has announced the classes of works subject to the exemption from the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. Persons making noninfringing uses of the following six classes of works will not be subject to the prohibition against circumventing access controls (17 U.S.C. § 1201(a)(1)) during the next three years.