Abstract:
This Comment will explore the problem of copyrighting various aspects of state statutes, explain the precedent of this copyrighting conundrum, and analyze its detrimental effects. Part I summarizes relevant case law and statutory history that provide the authority (or lack thereof) for copyrighting the law; Part II explains the codification process; Parts III and IV describe how impediments to access have manifested across the country; Part V analyzes how limiting public access to the law can be problematic and why citizens should not tolerate it; and Part VI offers a workable solution providing access to the law so that more may understand it.