"A new technology has set the music industry on its ear. Threats of
suits and countersuits are exchanged like a litigious call-and-response.
Congress holds hearings, and much official fretting ensues. From lawyers
to musicians to listeners, everyone is asking: Can copyright law cope
with this innovation?"

It's not Napster and the Internet -- it's the Aeolian Company and
the year is 1909.  One year earlier the Supreme court ruled that
manufacturing piano rolls did not infringe on a compositions copyright,
and copyright owners and publishers were up in arms!

In a lively article at the web site of New Republic magazine, writer
Glenn Otis Brown tells how Aeolian sought to hoard the copyrights to
popular compositions, even as the Copyright Act of 1909 was being
drafted.  Needless to say, Aeolian's competitors were quite angry.  See
the article at http://www.thenewrepublic.com/online/brown072700.html
and read how Congress reacted.

Robbie Rhodes