This thesis investigates the potentially complex power effects generated in Online Social Networking Sites (‘OSNS’), such as YouTube and Facebook, when legal values, such as copyright and personal data, are protected and/or violated. In order to develop this analysis, in Chapter Two, I critically analyse key academic writings on internet regulation and argue that I need to move away from the dominant ‘regulatory’ lens to my Actor-Network Theory-Foucauldian Power Lens (‘ANT-Foucauldian Power Lens’) in order to be able to capture the potentially complex web of power effects generated in YouTube and Facebook when copyright and personal data are protected and/or violated. In Chapter Three, I develop my ANT-Foucauldian Power Lens and explore how key ANT ideas such as translation can be used in conjunction with Foucauldian ideas such as governmentality. I utilise my ANT-Foucauldian Power Lens in Chapters Four to Seven to analyse how YouTube and Facebook are constructed as heterogeneous, contingent and precarious ‘actor-networks’ and I map in detail the complex power effects generated from specific local connections. I argue five key points. Firstly, I suggest that complex, multiple, and contingent power effects are generated when key social, legal, and technological actants are locally, contingently, and precariously ‘fitted together’ in YouTube and Facebook when copyright and personal data are protected and/or violated. Secondly, I argue that ‘materialities’ play key roles in maintaining the power effects generated by specific local connections. Thirdly, I argue that there are close links between power and ‘spatialities’ through my analysis of the Privacy Settings and Tagging in Facebook. Fourthly, I argue that my relational understandings of YouTube and Facebook generate a more comprehensive view of the power effects of specific legal elements such as how specific territorial laws in YouTube gain their authority by virtue of their durable and heterogeneous connections. Finally, I argue that we can extrapolate from my empirical findings to build a small-scale theory about the power effects generated in OSNS when legal values are protected and/or violated. Here I also consider the contributions made by my research to three distinct fields, namely, internet regulation, socio-legal studies, and actor-network theory.

Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 1989. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: English abstract not available / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tradisionele opvatting was dat Outeursreg gemoeid is met die beskerming van die materiele vorm waarin idees vasgele is. Sedertdien het die klem egter verskuif na die beskerming van die idee self mits dit egter in stoflike vorm vervat is. In hierdie tesis word ondersoek ingestel na wat presies die objek van Outeursreg is en watter rol stoflike aanbieding in Outeursreg sped. Ter aanvang word gekyk na die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van Outeursreg. Daar word gekyk na die pick wat Outeursreg in die regsisteem beklee met spesifieke verwysing na die tradisionele indeling van subjektiewe regte. Dit blyk hieruit dat Outeursreg, as bestaandeel van Immaterieel goedereg, 'n onstoflike regsobjek het nl. die produk van die outeur se geestesarbeid of dan sy idee. Die verwysing na die vereiste van stoflike aanbieding van idees verg egter nadere ondersoek. Die Wet op Outeursreg 98 van 1973 word ontleel met betrekking tot die aard van beskermde werke; vereistes vir Outeursregbaskerming; definisies van terme soos "outeur" en "maak" asook die van die onderskeie werke; die eiendomsregterminologie en skendingshandelinge. Regsvergelykend word oorsigtelik ook na die Amerikaanse Reg verwys. Uit hierdie ontleding blyk stoflikheid vir doeleindes van die tradisionele Outeursregwerke te verwys na tasbare aanbieding daarvan, mar dat sb 'n eng definisie nie gehandhaaf kan word ten opsigte van moderne tegnologiese ontwikkelings soos uitsendings en programdraende seine nie, aangesien hierdie werke van sä 'n aard is dat tasbare vasle:gging daarvan nie noodwendig altyd plaasvind nie. Onder die skrywers wat hierdie probleem bespreek is professors Copeling en Van der Merwe wat aan stoflikheid 'n alternatiewe, wyer betekenis toedig nl. kommunikeerbare of sintuiglik waarneembare aanbieding. 'n Botsing tussen die tradisionele en aanbevole definisie van stoflikheid in die regspraak word ook uitgewys. Ten einde tegnologie te akkommodeer word die wyer definisie van stoflikheid in hierdie tesis voorgehou. Die implikasies van hierdie wyer definisie van stoflikheid is egter verreikend. Professor Copeling bevestig dan ook dat dit die moontlikheid van Outeursreg in mondelinge kommunikasies inhou. Gevolglik word daar veral gekyk waarom idees as sulks beskerm word deur Onregmatige Mededinging, maar nie deur Outeursreg nie - 'n vraag wat beantwoord word met verwysing na die invloed van moderne tegnologie op die tradisionele indelings van die Immaterieel goederereg. Uit hierdie ondersoek blyk dit dat Onregmatige Mededinging berus op die Immaterieel goederereg in plaas van die Deliktereg. Die uitgebreide definisie van stoflikheid veroorsaak dat die bestaande indelings van Immaterie61 goedereregte versmelt. Dit ruim ook die huidige konflik rondom die vereiste van stoflikheid in die Wet op Outeursreg 93 van 1973 uit die weg. Laastens word kortliks gewys op die drastiese veranderinge in die spelreels vir inligtingsprodukte wat nodig sal wees om die balans tussen die aansprake van Outeursreghebbendes en die gemeenskap te handhaaf indien die uitgebreide definisie van stoflikheid aangewend word. Uiteindelik dien stoflikheid ook in sy uitgebreide vorm steeds die tradisionele doe om die werk af te skei van die maker se persoonlikheid en dit sodoende buite die mens gelee te maak.

Thesis (LLD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The rationale for the legal protection of copyright works is based on the perceived need to encourage the creation of works which are considered to be socially beneficial. By awarding authors proprietary rights in their creations, copyright law allows authors the ability to earn direct financial returns from their efforts, and, thus, copyright law provides the required incentives for authors to create copyright works. Since the early days of commercial software development, copyright protection has been extended to computer programs; thus, by providing such protection it was assumed that their production should be encouraged, and that without such protection they will not be produced to the extent required by society. Comparatively recently, we have witnessed large-scale production of open-source software, which is licensed on generous terms, giving users the right to freely use, modify and redistribute such software. By adopting such licensing terms, the authors of open-source software are unable to charge licensees a fee for permission to use their software, which is the reward which copyright assumes authors seek to create such software. This development has made it necessary to re-evaluate the rationale for copyright protection of computer programs, and determine whether the continued protection of computer programs is justifiable. This study seeks to first establish a coherent theoretical justification for copyright protection, which it is submitted should be an economic justification, rather than a moral justification. The legal analysis in this work seeks to establish whether the copyright protection of computer programs is consistent with the economic justification for copyright protection. In particular, the analysis focuses on the current scope of copyright protection, and seeks to establish whether such protection is excessive, stifling creativity and innovation, and, thus, imposing too high a social cost. It is contended that copyright doctrine has generally sought to minimise these costs, and that current scope of copyright protection of computer programs leaves enough creative room for the production of new software. Despite the fact that the effect of open-source software licences is that authors are unable to earn the direct financial rewards which copyright enables authors to earn as an incentive to create such software, their authors continue to have financial incentives to create such software. Commercial firms who invest in open-source software do so because they seek to provide financially-rewarding related services in respect of software, or because it serves to promote sales in their complementary products. Similarly, the participation of individual computer programmers is largely consistent with the standard economic theories relating to labour markets and the private provision of public goods. Individuals are principally motivated by economic motives, such as career concerns. Copyright protection gives participants the choice to opt for the direct financial rewards which its proprietary protection enables, or the more indirect financial rewards of open-source software development. It is submitted within this research that rather than undermining the rationale for copyright protection of computer programs, the development of open-source software has illustrated that copyright protection allows for the emergence of alternative business models, which may be more economically advantageous to authors. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die rasionaal agter outeursregbeskerming wat deur die reg verleen word is gebasseer op 'n behoefte om die skepping van werke wat sosiaal voordelig geag word te bevorder. Outeursreg verleen aan outeurs direkte finansiële vergoeding vir hul inspanning deur die vestiging van eiendomsreg oor hul werke. Dus, outeursreg voorsien outeurs van die nodige insentiewe om sulke werke te skep. Sedert die begindae van kommersiële sagteware ontwikkeling, is outeursregbeskerming uitgebrei om aan rekenaarprogramme sulke beskerming te bied. Deur die bied van outeursregbeskerming word daar aangeneem dat die ontwikkeling van rekenaarprogramme aangemoedig word en dat sonder die genoemde beskerming programme nie geproduseer sal word tot in 'n mate benodig deur die samelewing nie. Onlangs egter, is daar 'n grootskaalse ontwikkeling van oopbronsagteware opgemerk. Hierdie sagteware word onder ruime terme gelisensieer en gee aan gebruikers die reg om die genoemde sagteware te gebruik, te wysig en vrylik te versprei. Deur sulke terme van lisensiëring aan te neem word outeurs verhoed om vanaf lisensiehouers 'n fooi te vorder vir die toestemming om die sagteware te gebruik. Outeursreg neem aan dat hierdie vergoeding die basis vorm waarom outeurs sulke sagteware ontwikkel. Hierdie ontwikkeling maak dit nodig om die rasionaal agter outeursregbeskerming van rekenaarprogramme te her-evalueer en ook om vas te stel of die volgehoue beskerming van rekenaarprogramme regverdigbaar is. Hierdie studie poog om, eerstens, 'n samehangende teoretiese regverdiging vir outeursreg te vestig. Daar word aan die hand gedoen dat hierdie beskerming 'n ekonomiese, eerder as 'n morele regverdiging as grondslag moet hê. Die regsontleding vervat in hierdie werk poog om vas te stel of die outeursregbeskerming wat aan rekenaarprogramme verleen word in lyn is met die ekonomiese regverdiging van outeursregbeskerming. Die analise fokus in besonder op die huidige bestek van outeursregbeskerming en poog om vas te stel of sodanige beskerming oormatig is, of dit kreatiwiteit en innovasie onderdruk en derhalwe te hoë sosiale koste tot gevolg het. Daar word geargumenteer dat outeursreg in die algemeen poog om sosiale koste te verlaag en dat die huidige omvang van outeursregbeskerming van rekenaarprogramme voldoende kreatiewe ruimte vir die ontwikkeling van nuwe sagteware laat. Die effek van oopbronsagteware is dat outeurs nie in staat is om direkte finansiële vergoeding te verdien, wat as insentief gesien word vir die ontwikkeling van sagteware, nie. Ten spyte hiervan is daar steeds voldoende finansiële insentiewe om sodanige sagteware te ontwikkel. Kommersiële firmas belê in oopbronsagteware om finansiëel lonende verwante dienste ten opsigte van sagteware te voorsien. Dit kan ook dien om verkope in hul onderskeie aanvullende produkte te bevorder. Eweweens is die deelname van individuele rekenaarprogrameerders oorwegend in lyn met die standaard ekonomiese teoriëe ten opsigte van die arbeidsmark en die privaat voorsiening van openbare goedere. Individue word gemotiveer deur ekonomiese motiewe, soos byvoorbeeld oorwegings wat verband hou met hul loopbane. Outeursregbeskerming bied aan deelnemers die keuse om voordeel te trek uit die direkte finansiële vergoeding wat moontlik gemaak word deur outeursregbeskerming of uit die meer indirekte finansiële vergoeding gebied deur die ontwikkeling van oopbronsagteware. In hierdie navorsing word daar geargumenteer dat die ontwikkeling van oopbronsagteware geillustreer het dat outeursregbeskerming die onstaan van alternatiewe besigheidsmodelle toelaat wat ekonomies meer voordelig is vir outeurs in plaas daarvan dat dit die rasionaal vir die outeursregbeskerming van rekenaarprogramme ondermyn.

Habilitacijai teikiami mokslo darbai, susiję su dviem tyrimų sritimi – autorių teisių ir kitų intelektinės nuosavybės teisių apsaugos ir gynimo teoriniais ir praktiniais aspektais. Teikiamuose mokslo darbuose, remiantis kitų valstybių, Lietuvos doktrina ir teismų praktika analizuojama ir aiškinama teisinio reguliavimo novelų esmė, pateikiamos tam tikro instituto ar dalyko fundamentalios žinios ir vertinimai. Atsižvelgiant į tai, kad, ypač intelektinės nuosavybės teisės srityje, dauguma analizuotų klausimų susiję su Europos Sąjungos ar tarptautinės teisės aktų nuostatų įgyvendinimu vidaus teisėje, analizuojami šio įgyvendinimo rezultatai, nagrinėjamos atitinkamų nuostatų turinys ir taikymo galimybės, atskleidžiamos tinkamo ir netinkamo teisės taikymo atvejai, doktrininiu aiškinimu šalinamos esamos teisinio reguliavimo ar teisės taikymo spragos arba klaidos. Taip pat iškeliamos tam tikros teisės politikos formavimo, vystymo ir strategijos kryptys bei problemos, orientuojantis į racionalumo ir apsaugos funkcionalumo kriterijus. Tyrimuose didelę reikšmę turi istorinis, lyginamasis, teleologinis tyrimų metodai. Didelę reikšmę teikiamuose darbuose turi monografija apie autorių teisę, kurioje sistemiškai nagrinėjami pagrindiniai principai, šaltiniai, objektai, subjektai, asmeninės neturtinės teisės ir turtinės teisės bei jų apribojimai. Remiantis droit d‘ auteure tradicija, autorių teisės paskirtis ir pagrindinė funkcija yra reguliuoti trejopo pobūdžio interesų konfliktus ir rasti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The subject matter of the scientific studies comprises a study of key issues of the protection of copyright as well as enforcement of other intellectual property rights. The basic methods of study used in the works are comparative, historical and teleological. The model of legal regulation of the protection of intellectual property rights chosen is the one existing in the states of droit d’ auteur and copyright systems, and based on this model the key issues of copyright protection are analysed by way of comparing and assessing the aspects provided for in the Lithuanian legislation. Lithuania follows the droit d’ auteur system. In general, the Lithuanian copyright law does not reflect any unique tradition. The development of intellectual property rights protection in Lithuania essentially coincided with the accession to international and regional organisations and to international agreements. When Lithuania decisively implemented one of its foreign policy aims — to become a member of the European Union — the approximation of its national law to the European Union legislation commenced in the field of intellectual property law as well as in the whole legal system. The scientific monograph and the few scientific articles analyse the main aspects of the protection of copyright: main principles of copyright, legal sources, subject matter of the protections, the author or other copyright owner, contents of protection (economic rights and moral rights), limitations and exceptions... [to full text]

The goal of this thesis was to show the basic issues of copyright in the area of works of art with pointing out a special treatment, which is paid to these works on the basis of specific characteristics resulting from the nature of a work of art. The main specifics are immediate connection of works with its material expression. The introduction of thesis outlines the concept of copyright and its sources. It deals with main principles of copyright and an author as a person.This chapter also includes a part devoted to the subject of copyright, which is author's work, and a part devoted to characteristic features of a work of art. The following chapter is devoted to the rights of the author, which arise by creating of a work of art and subsequently during the use of the work. It contains a division of rights to the personality and property ones in which it devotes to the right to use the work of art and mainly to the right to remuneration during resale of it. The Copyright Act provides to use a work of art without authorization granted by an author and these issues are dealt with mainly in the chapter of constructive use of the works of art. The License Agreement providing the right to use a work is the basic institute in law enforcement. A properly drafted licence contract prevents possible disputes...

Este trabalho se propõe narrar o surgimento e a evolução da legislação do Direito de Autor tendo como referência o livro, pois ele foi o primeiro objeto a se beneficiar desse direito e, ainda hoje, é de relevante importância no desenvolvimento da legislação autoral. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa oferece reflexões acerca dos desafios impostos pela reprodução digital das obras literárias, tendo em vista o desejável equilíbrio entre duas áreas aparentemente conflitantes: o interesse individual dos titulares de direito pela proteção da obra e o interesse social pelo acesso ao conhecimento dentro da problemática decorrente das inovações tecnológicas, suas implicações internacionais e o conflito com as normas internas, o que culminará na proposta da reforma da lei de Direito de Autor pelo Ministério da Cultura. / This study paper is a proposal to review the evolution of the law of copyright. As a reference book, it was the first object to take advantage of this right and continues to play an important role in the development of copyright legislation. The research goal is to outline the challenges of the digital reproduction of works, providing a clear articulation of the desired balance between two seemingly conflicting objectives: the individual interests related to copyright holders and the social interest groups in accessing the knowledge within the problems arising from technological innovations. Technical innovation challenges include the domestic and international implications that culminated in the proposal to review the Brazil Copyright Law suggested by the Ministry of Culture.

Le droit d’auteur est le théâtre de conflits entre différents intérêts. D’un côté ceux de l’auteur et de ses ayants droit, de l’autre ceux du public, des exploitants et des intermédiaires techniques de l’Internet. Le droit d’auteur s’est construit en prenant en compte ces tensions entre les différentes parties prenantes. Or, aujourd’hui, les droits fondamentaux sont invoqués par chacun des acteurs du droit d’auteur pour la défense de ses intérêts propres. Ces normes, ayant une valeur supra-législative, sont de nature à exercer une influence sur l’équilibre du droit d’auteur mis en place par le législateur et interprété par le juge. Le travail présenté se propose d’analyser l’intensité de cette influence tant dans l’élaboration législative du droit que dans son application jurisprudentielle. La démarche envisagée est celle d’un examen de l’importance des droits fondamentaux sur le droit d’auteur des fondations législatives historiques aux récents développements jurisprudentiels. / Different interests could come into conflicts in copyright law : on one hand those of the author and his/her right holders, and on the other hand those of the copyright industry and the Internet services. Copyright law takes all these interests into account. But now fundamental rights are cited by each actor to defend its own interest. These rights could influence copyright law’s balance. This thesis analyses the intensity of fundamental rights’ influence on copyright law’s legislation and jurisprudence.

Internettjänsten The Pirate Bay fälldes av Svea hovrätt den 26 november 2010 för medhjälp till brott mot URL med motiveringen att denna tjänst främjat fildelning av upphovsrättsligt skyddat material utan upphovsmännens samtycke. Bestämmelsen i 23 kap 4 § 2 st. BrB lyder, ”ansvar som i denna balk är föreskrivet för viss gärning skall ådömas inte bara den som utfört gärningen utan även annan som främjat denna med råd eller dåd. Detsamma skall gälla beträffande i annan lag eller författning straffbelagd gärning, för vilken fängelse är föreskrivet.” I dagsläget finns ett flertal tjänster av liknande karaktär såsom söktjänsten Google och videotjänsten Youtube. Dessa har inte prövats av svensk rätt men åtnjuter skydd av E-handelslagen trots att de i praktiken kan anses fungera som The Pirate Bay. Skillnaden är att dessa aktivt handlar för att förebygga förekomsten av upphovsrättsligt skyddat material utan upphovsmännens samtycke. Trots detta förekommer en betydande mängd upphovsrättsligt skyddat material som med stor sannolikhet inte gjorts tillgängligt för allmänheten med upphovsmännens samtycke. Dessa aktörer kan teoretiskt sätt upprätta en policy mot spridning av olovligt material som är tillräcklig för att väga upp den skadan som tillförs upphovsmännen, på så sätt åtnjuter de titeln informationssamhällets tjänst, de vill säga samhällsnyttan väger över den tillförda skadan enligt E-handelslagen. Hovrättens deldom i Pirate Bay-målet är nu en milstolpe för dessa aktörer avseende tolkningen av medhjälpsbegreppet i BrB, men det är ändock av vikt att HD samt EU-domstolen klargör den diffusa gränsen mellan definitionen informationssamhällets tjänst och tolkningen av ordalydelsen i 23 kap 4 § 2 st. BrB (medhjälpsbegreppet). / The Pirate Bay was convicted by the Svea Court of Appeals in November 26, 2010 for aiding in crime against Swedish Copyright Law on the grounds that this service promoted the sharing of copyright material without the authors’ consent. The wording in chapter 23, paragraph 4, part 2 of the Swedish Criminal Code reads, "responsibilities in this section are prescribed for a specific act, it shall be imposed not only on those who carried out the deed, but also the one that facilitated this by giving advice or carrying out deeds. The same shall apply in relation to another law or constitutional criminal offense for which imprisonment is prescribed." Nowadays there are several services of similar nature such as the search engine Google and the video streaming service Youtube. These services have not been tested by Swedish law, since they are protected by the Swedish E-Commerce Law. Google and Youtube actively take actions to prevent the occurrence of copyrighted material without the authors' consent. However, there is a considerable amount of copyright material, which most probably has been made available to the public without the authors' consent. These companies can in theory establish a policy against the proliferation of unauthorized materials in an amount sufficient to offset the damage which affects the copyright owners, but still enjoy the title of information society services in the E-Commerce Law, since the social benefits are larger than the caused injury. The Swedish Court of Appeal's judgement is now a landmark for similar services when it comes to the interpretation of aiding crime against the Swedish copyright law. It is nevertheless important that the Supreme Court of Sweden and the EU-court defines the cloudy boundary between the definition information society services and the interpretation of the wording in the 23 chapter 4 § 2 part, Swedish penal code.

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) licences channel the exclusionary and individualising force of copyright to establish a qualitatively different, somewhat subversive, system for the exploitation of software. This thesis examines how it is that FOSS licences establish this 'system within a system' under both German and United States law. The inquiry begins with a detailed examination of FOSS licence templates as the instruments which transform code from its default position as the 'res' of proprietary relations to its status as 'open' or 'free'. The thesis then considers whether FOSS licence templates, as the legal basis for this subversive move, are valid and enforceable under domestic law. In addressing this question, the thesis undertakes a critical analysis of the leading case law in each jurisdiction. Going beyond the immediate case law, the thesis considers the broader systemic effects of FOSS licence enforcement. It highlights how building a system within a system foments certain tensions and contradictions within the law, in turn giving rise to unintended consequences and legal uncertainty. By highlighting these tensions, the thesis argues that the questions of FOSS licence enforcement in Germany and the United States may not be as settled as some may think.

Orientador: Gilda Figueiredo Portugal Gouvêa / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T21:24:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silveiras_RaphaeldeSouza_M.pdf: 3281663 bytes, checksum: edaacfbf0b768857f59aa4797b348f55 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: O presente trabalho investiga a atuação do Estado e da sociedade civil a partir de duas consultas públicas realizadas pela Internet no Brasil: Marco Civil da Internet e reforma da Lei de Direito Autoral. Foca-se principalmente a atuação do Estado, mais especificamente o modo como ele exerceu o poder nesses espaços, tendo como referência teórica a concepção de poder em Michel Foucault. A consulta pública para o Marco Civil da Internet se realizou entre 2009 e 2010 com o objetivo de obter uma relação harmônica entre direito e rede por meio da regulamentação da Internet no Brasil. A consulta para a reforma da Lei de Direito Autoral (LDA) aconteceu no ano de 2010 e teve uma segunda fase em 2012. Ela foi realizada com a finalidade de manter o equilíbrio entre direito de acesso a conteúdos e o direito autoral, visto que a Lei atual de Direito Autoral (9610/98) está defasada frente ao desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias. A dissertação se divide em duas partes e um capítulo com considerações finais. A primeira apresenta a Internet e as possibilidades interpretativas que se colocam para um objeto de análise que está inserido neste meio, apresentando e problematizando as concepções teóricas que permeiam este trabalho. A segunda parte trata das duas consultas públicas realizadas pela Internet tendo como objetivo a compreensão da gênese desses espaços consultivos e o modo como essas consultas se desenvolveram. O último capítulo assume um caráter conclusivo, buscando compreender qual o caminho que essas consultas públicas apontam em relação à atuação do Estado brasileiro na Internet com a construção desses dois entre os inúmeros "espaços" que compõem estes meios eletrônicos, como o Estado está lidando com a Internet no que diz respeito à maior participação da sociedade civil na constituição de políticas públicas / Abstract: This paper investigates the performance of the State and civil society from two public consultations over Internet in Brazil: Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet and the Copyright Law Reform. This research focuses primarily on the state¿s action, more specifically on how he has exercised the power in these spaces, using Michel Foucault¿s theoretical conception of power as reference. The public consultation for the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework took place between 2009 and 2010 aiming to obtain a harmonious relationship between law and network through the regulation of Internet in Brazil. The consultation on the reform of the Copyright was performed in 2010 and had a second phase in 2012. It was established in order to maintain the balance between the right of access to content and copyright, since the current law in Copyright Law (9610/98) is outdated when it refers to developing new technologies. The dissertation is divided into two parts, followed by a chapter covering final considerations. First, this paper presents the Internet and interpretive possibilities that arise for an object of analysis considering its context, presenting and questioning theoretical concepts that permeate this work. The second part encompasses those two public consultations on Internet, aiming to understand the genesis of these consultative spaces and how such queries were developed. The final chapter assumes a conclusive approach, trying to understand which direction these public consultations point in regard to the State¿s role in the Internet, considering the construction of this new space between several others existing. Also, this chapter discusses how the State is dealing with Internet as a possibility to promote a higher social participation to construct public policies / Mestrado / Sociologia / Mestre em Sociologia