Plagarism and copyright are sources of great controversy in society. With modern copyright laws, disputes can be unfairly settled. In the United States, modern copyright law has been amended several times since its inclusion in the Constitution in 1776. The most recent change was in 1998, when the copyrighted work author would be protected for the entire life of the author and seventy years thereafter.1. For example, if a 25 year old publishes a book in 2005. That book is copyrighted for the rest of that person's life (approximately another 65 years) plus 70 years after that. This extension of protection is beneficial for people whose works have taken time to make money. Even if this book takes ten years to turn a profit. The profit will always go to the authors and no one will be able to create a more popular version of their book. But is this a way to help authors in difficulty or a way for companies to make more money? How did copyright get so out of control? And what does this mean for creators in the internet age? The controversy began with the invention of the printing press. When printing was invented in the mid-15th century by Johannes Gutenburg, it became possible to create copies of written and drawn works in less time and one of the first known patents in history accompanied it . This patent was a five-year monopoly granted to him in 1469 by the Republic of Venice2. Many countries have adopted individual laws and practices regarding copyright and book printing. One practice came from the Stationers Company3, based in the City of London, which in the mid-16th century established a rule among itself that it would not print any books already in print. However, this agreement is not about ...... middle of paper ...... are completely necessary for society and work to a certain extent. An author will feel better creating more works knowing that their works cannot be stolen. However, in the Internet age, copyright must be modified, not strengthened. The Internet is not a place that a government can successfully regulate without violating people's rights and if companies are able to pick and choose what they consider to be copyright infringement, it will only turn people off to create things for fear of legal action or censorship of their creation. Current copyright laws have protected things for too long and benefit corporations. Not the public. The way the government handles copyright on the Internet is even worse. The government needs to stop worrying about businesses and start focusing on what will create a safer, freer, happier environment for creators..