Lisa Milice was a nervous new mom-to-be trying to find the safest bath seat for her baby. She decided to research the safety standards of the bath seat of her choice with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Until she hit a wall: a paywall, that is. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said she had to pay $56 to get a copy of those safety rules – twice as much as the bath seat cost!

Which raises several questions: What happens when the government puts laws and regulations behind a paywall? Is it reasonable or proper to make a consumer pay more than the product itself costs? Can the government grant third-party companies a monopoly on the distribution of mandatory laws and regulations?

This online discussion with NCLA Litigation Counsel Jared McClain, Professor Nina Mendelson of the University of Michigan Law School, and Adina Rosenbaum of Public Citizen Litigation Group addressed these and other related issues.