The Law of the Horse: What Cyberlaw Might Teach
Harvard Law Review, 1999 · paper · Law
Responds to the claim that cyberspace law is no more a field than a "law of the horse." Argues that studying cyberspace reveals general lessons about law's limits as a regulator and about other tools, such as code, that constrain behavior.
Checked: PDF from yalelawtech.org, fetched 5 Oct 2026. Page numbers are those of that PDF.
0 findings
None that passed a second check.
7 minor (typos and the like; most checked by the judge only)
Wording "The two problems from the beginning of this section are a simple example of this point:" refers to a section, but this abridged text has no section divisions; the two problems are on PDF pages 1-2.
- p. 5 sentence before “(a) Zoning Speech”
The two problems from the beginning of this section are a simple example
Judge's note: Viewed page 5 and read the full text. The document has no section headings, only the run-in headings "1.", "2.", "(a)" and "(b)", so "this section" has no referent as the text stands. The asterisks show the text is an excerpt, so the phrase is a leftover from the full article and not an error in the original. A reader can still find the two problems (Zoning Speech and Protected Privacy, pages 1-2). The same sentence pairs the plural "two problems are" with the singular "a simple example", which is loose but acceptable.
Second check: another model agreed
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Typo The quotation beginning “should be limited to subjects” is closed with a space and an opening quotation mark: "illuminate the entire law. “ “[T]he best way"; it should be a closing mark set against the full stop.
- p. 1 second paragraph, Easterbrook quotation
illuminate the entire law. “
- p. 1 second paragraph, quotation of Easterbrook
illuminate the entire law. “ “[T]he best way
Judge's note: Viewed the full page 1 image. After "entire law." there is a space, then a left-curled double quotation mark, then a gap and the opening mark of the next quotation. Two lines below, "rules.”" is closed correctly, so this is a slip and not a house style.
Second check: none (judge only)
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Typo The same example is headed "2. Protected Privacy." on page 2 and "(b) Protecting Privacy." on page 5, while the paired example is "Zoning Speech" in both places.
- p. 2 heading of example 2
2. Protected Privacy.
- p. 5 heading of example (b)
(b) Protecting Privacy.
- p. 2
2. Protected Privacy.—If you walked into a store
Judge's note: Viewed pages 2 and 5. Both headings are printed as quoted, in italics. Page 5 introduces the pair as "The two problems from the beginning of this section", and the first heading, "Zoning Speech", is repeated word for word. "Protecting" is parallel with "Zoning", so "Protected" is the more likely slip, but either heading is a possible title and only the author can say which was intended. The meaning is not affected.
Second check: none (judge only)
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Typo Compound subject with a singular verb: "The anonymity and multi-jurisdictionality of cyberspace makes control by government in cyberspace impossible" ("make" expected).
- p. 3 paragraph beginning “To many this question will seem very odd”
The anonymity and multi-jurisdictionality of cyberspace
- p. 3 same sentence, next line
makes control by government in cyberspace impossible
Judge's note: Viewed page 3. The sentence is printed as quoted. Two coordinated nouns normally take a plural verb. The two properties can be read as one notion, which some writers treat as singular, so this is a minor grammar point where either form could be defended. The meaning is not affected.
Second check: none (judge only)
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Typo "Prices structures often constrain access" should read "Price structures" (or "Pricing structures").
- p. 4 paragraph beginning “Markets regulate behavior in cyberspace too”
Prices structures often constrain
Judge's note: Viewed page 4. The image reads "Prices structures", so this is not an extraction artefact. A plural noun is used as a modifier of another plural noun; the same paragraph has "flat-rate pricing plan".
Second check: none (judge only)
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Typo Subject and verb disagree: "the threat of ex post (but decentralized) sanctions enforce these norms" ("enforces" expected).
- p. 4 paragraph beginning “Norms regulate behavior in cyberspace as well”, last sentence
threat of ex post (but decentralized) sanctions enforce these norms
Judge's note: Viewed page 4. The sentence is printed as quoted. The subject is the singular "the threat"; the verb has been attracted to the nearer plural "sanctions".
Second check: none (judge only)
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Typo A stray underscore is printed before the sentence: "only if the individual consents. _In some places, one can elect to speak a language".
- p. 5 first paragraph, line 6, after “only if the individual consents.”
_In some places, one can elect to speak a
- p. 5 first paragraph, after "only if the individual consents."
consents. In some places, one can elect to speak
Judge's note: Viewed the full page 5 image. A short baseline rule, like an underscore, sits between "consents." and "In some places" on line 6 of the first paragraph. The text layer shows only extra spaces there, so the mark is visible only on the page. It is probably left over from a removed footnote marker; other removed markers on the page left only a double space.
Second check: none (judge only)