The course is designed to outline and evaluate laws governing the Internet, including laws relating to content regulation, intellectual property, electronic commerce, privacy and security. The unit will also examine governance structures employed to facilitate legal regulation of the Internet.

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe and critically analyse (existing and proposed) laws regulating the Internet.

2. Explain and critically evaluate models proposed for Internet governance

The global information infrastructure continues to have a dramatic impact on our social, economic and political institutions. This course considers the legal and policy issues posed by computer technology, the Internet and network economics. In outline, it examines: (1) internet governance and the regulation of information society; (2) the legal protection software by copyright, patent, trade secret and trademark law and; antitrust in the computer industry. (3) The regulation of electronic commerce, including online contracts and payments; digital copyright and anti-circumvention measures and; the use of domain names as trademarks. (4) The enforcement of rights in cyberspace including: cross border litigation, jurisdiction and choice of law and; forms of non-judicial dispute resolution. (5) Constitutional, security and public interest issues including: content regulation, encryption, decryption, reverse engineering, freedom of speech and privacy.