Those who would change the citation system contend it is not suitable for a fast-approaching future in which most cases will be reported electronically. Although court decisions are in the public domain, citations often are proprietary. West Publishing, for example, owns the copyright to the citations for cases that appear in the federal reporters and many regional reporters. This prevents smaller publishers from including citations on CD-ROMs or on the Internet. Medium neutral .
Citations are to printed pages in bound volumes.
This prevents pinpoint citation to material in an electronic case report. Advocates of change believe paragraphs within cases should be numbered to allow for pinpoint citation. On the other side are those who do not so much oppose a neutral citation system as they believe such a system should not be mandatory or exclusive. West Publishing, for example, argues that market forces should determine which citations are used. Opponents also believe a neutral citation system has a number of inherent problems.