A study on the legal history of printing press regulation in early modern England yields insights relevant to contemporary debates on the regulation of emerging technologies like AI and virtual reality, a McGill researcher says.
"Two key insights emerge," said Ali Ekber Cinar, doctoral candidate at the McGill Faculty of Law and author of the paper. "First, effective influence over regulation required both financial resources and a direct connection to the technology. Second, preventing problems like monopolies and censorship depended on having diverse voices involved in regulation."
Cinar examined the legal responses to the printing press in England from the 1470s to the early 1700s, with a particular focus on long-term social and institutional changes. His objective was to better understand how societies regulate new technologies.
"Many of the same issues – such as the concentration of power and the need for balanced regulation – are repeating today," explained Cinar.
The research highlights how the state, religious authorities and economically powerful groups such as printers both wrestled and collaborated with each other over time to protect their own interests regarding the technology, and how their responses were also influenced by various political and social upheavals.
"Just as economic power and direct involvement shaped regulation in the past, today's tech giants influence how AI is governed. Similarly, while the printing press transformed knowledge into a commodity, AI is now driving the commodification of data. Learning from history suggests that involving a broad range of stakeholders is essential to avoid monopolization, ensure transparency, and protect public interest," he said.
According to Cinar, the research aligns with existing scholarship on the interest-driven nature of regulation, emphasizing how legal change is often shaped in the long run by economic power and interest groups.
Cinar said he hopes to continue to expand this research to provide policymakers with a more informed and historically grounded framework for addressing the complex challenges posed by today's rapidly evolving technological landscape.
About the study
" Understanding technology regulation through history: insights from the legal history of the printing press and copyright in early modern England " by Ali Ekber Cinar was published in the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice.
