Was that the Rubicon, Lethe, or Styx we just crossed? Access conditions for e-content

The article is an examination of several access conditions for scholarly content that may have been affected when content became digital. Business models, pricing schemes, license terms, dissemination systems, and discovery and presentation systems are access conditions. The right of first sale is in grave danger, not because of any legal or public policy attacks, but because of changes in the nature of packaged information goods. Although no technological imperative necessitates such a shift, fair use is in danger of being transformed from a legal concept to a technological algorithm. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.