| Abstract: | SUMMARY The legal publishing industry in the United States went through a period of rapid consolidation during the last decade of the 20th century. Almost all United States publishers are now owned by foreign conglomerates that have a vast presence in the information business. The consequences of this change and consolidation of ownership has had far-reaching effects; some are already known, but some are certainly unknown at this time. In looking at the phenomenon, this article tries to give some historical perspective on legal publishing, examines the conglomerates as businesses (a “top down” approach), considers important legislation concerning databases, and wonders at the effects all this concentrated change may have on law libraries and the patrons they serve. |
