Internet Law and Policy

Catalog description

Development in the law, policy, and business of Internet-mediated communications and commerce; emphasis on impact on existing legal, regulatory, and economic models. COMM 492 Internet Law and Policy (3) This course will provide a forum for students to investigate and debate ongoing or anticipated conflicts in Internet-mediated telecommunications, information processing and commerce. The resulting confrontations may stem from technological innovation, real or perceived changes in the marketplace, or the imperatives of prevailing regulatory, political or economic philosophies. Conflict resolution often results from persuasive advocacy, coalition building, and accommodation of outsiders with new perspectives or entrepreneurial visions, rather than applying legal precedent or treaty interpretations. Internet mediation has the potential to change how we communicate, educate, inform, entertain, and transact business. Technological and marketplace convergence means that Internet mediation will have a profound impact on many legal, regulatory and economic constructs, i.e., the preexisting templates we use to describe and understand the communications process and impact on individuals and society. The course also will examine the growing body of cases that have addressed aspects of Internet-mediation in each of the following general categories: *Speech-commercial and political speech, obscenity, forums analysis *Legal and Regulatory Consequences of Convergence-the juxtaposition of telecommunications and information processing technologies, markets and regulatory regimes *Governance and regulation of the Internet-whether the need exists for government intervention on such matters as numbering and domain registration *Intellectual Property Rights-the impact of Internet-mediation on copyright, trademark and patent laws *Electronic Commerce-the law and policy of Internet-mediated transactions, privacy and encryption concerns *Equity, Competition Policy and Consumer Protection Concerns-what, if anything, should governments do to remedy market failures