Lawyers, copyright officers for universities, book publishers, and even
educators tend to defer to a conservative picture of copyright law and refrain
from contributing to and participating in a robust commons. The TEACH Act
indirectly encourages such caution by requiring institutions to prevent
retention and unauthorized dissemination of copyrighted works that are shown in
the classroom; the result is that schools may decide not to take advantage of
the Act's provisions out of fear of sanctions for noncompliance.