History of the TEACH Act

In 1998 it was brought to the attention of Congress that the Fair Use section of the Copyright Act (section 110 (1)) was too broad and it allowed people to much leeway. Section 110 (2) was also unclear as it did not define the use for distant education. Congress in turn asked the Copyright Office to compile a report that would further define these sections. This report was presented as a bill to Congress in 2001 and became law in 2002.
http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/teachact.htm