We have our gaze fixed on the horizon of the future, of innovation, a gaze overwhelmed by novelty. Nevertheless we should not forget the long road of legal conquests that we have already travelled, using the techniques and legal instruments already known to us. And this is what I'm going to try to piece together: highlights of one or two points of the development of the Internet and the techniques offered by the rear-view mirror of History with a view to suggesting some solutions.