Cyber Glossary
Cyberlaw dictionary is an alphabetical reference guide to technical and legal terms related to the Internet. The site you are now browsing contains over 500 definitions of words drawn from Standard Internet English including technical terms and their meanings. Our aim is to explain basic technical jargon of cyberspace to those who are not familiar with its jargon. We've given preference to terms that are widely used, like modem or bandwidth, and to those that describe new concepts specific to the Internet experience such as phishing or sexting.
Betamax Standard
(1) Also referred to as simply Beta, the first VCR format, developed by Sony in 1975. Except for old systems that are still around since the 1980s, Betamax eventually disappeared from the home user marketplace as consumers favored the VHS format. The Betamax format is still in use today by professional videographers, television broadcasters and film makers. (2) The landmark U.S. legal precedent set in 1984 for allowing consumers to space-shift content they own to other formats and devices for the purpose of personal use. The precedent was a result of the Supreme Court decision in Sony v. Universal.
