“One way or another, publishers and the law will have to adapt to the e-book age. And while each of us consumers may choose not to adapt, over time I think most will.” Prof. Eugene Volokh, ”Paper Books? They’re So 20th Century,” Wall Street Journal (May 30, 2000).
Back in 2000, Prof. Volokh wrote a piece published in the WSJ on the emergence of electronic books many years before anyone ever heard of a Sony eReader or Amazon Kindle. At the time, Prof. Volokh was using the Rocket eBook. It’s always interesting to be able to go back and look at someone’s assessment of new technology and the predictions he or she makes about its impact on consumers. (And in some cases, its just funny.) For example, one line in Prof. Volokh’s article sounded like he was describing the iPhone:
If the much-vaunted “convergence” takes place (and it’s starting to), consumers won’t want to carry an e-book, an organizer, a music player and a laptop—they’ll want to carry one computer that does all these things.
But it’s clear after reading the piece that eBooks and eReaders have had a special place in Prof. Volokh’s heart. I hope he won’t be too disappointed when the platform is passed over for something more robust.
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