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The first copyright law in the United States was passed by Congress in 1790. In 1976 Congress enacted the latest copyright law, __26__ the technological developments that had occurred since the passage of the Copyright Act of 1909. For example, in 1909, anyone who wanted to make a single copy of a __27__ work for personal use had to do so by hand. The very process __28__ a limitation on the quantity of materials copied. Today, a photocopier can do the work in seconds; the limitation has disappeared. The 1909 law did not provide full protection for films and sound recordings, nor did it __29__ the need to protect radio and television. As a result, __30__ of the law and abuses of the intent of the law have lessened the __31__ rewards of authors, artists, and producers. The 1976 Copyright Act has not prevented these abuses fully, but it has clarified the legal rights of the injured parties and given them an __32__ for remedy.
Since 1976 the Act has been __33__ to include computer software, and guidelines have been adopted for fair use of television broadcasts. These changes have cleared up much of the confusion and conflict that followed __34__ the 1976 legislation.
The fine points of the law are decided by the courts and by acceptable common practice over time. As these decisions and agreements are made, we modify our behavior accordingly. For now, we need to __35__ the law and its guidelines as accurately as we can and to act in a fair manner.
