Google rules: an analysis of Google’s influence on copyright law and practice

This thesis explores Google’s copyright agenda and the political, legal and private processes through which Google has sought its implementation. This is the first comprehensive documentation of Google’s influence on copyright, drawing together evidence from multiple jurisdictions and spanning several years. This thesis is also significant for its insights into the current dynamics of digital copyright rule-making and enforcement and the distribution of power in the digital environment. Indeed, this thesis is a contribution to a larger conversation about a new generation of monopolistic companies, born from the technological developments of the digital age, and the social, political and economic influence they have acquired in contemporary society. The thesis concludes by enumerating strategies for addressing critical problems produced by concentrated private power in the digital environment; in particular, strategies aimed at ensuring digital copyright functions in the interest of a broad range of stakeholders.