INTERNET LAW AND POLICY

Communications 492 (Spring, 2009)

 

Instructor: Professor Rob Frieden

102 Carnegie Building

863-7996; E-mail: rmf5@psu.edu

 

Class Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m. (367 Willard)

Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday 9:00-11:00 a.m. and by appointment


General Perspective

 

The Internet triggers countless legal, regulatory, technological, business, philosophical, and geopolitical issues.  While many people would like to think the Internet operates free of the constraints that exist in the physical world, this course frequently will dispute this view.  Should you pursue a career where the Internet factors in significantly, this course will provide you with much needed perspective and the skills needed for success.

 

I have designed this course to present, investigate and debate ongoing or anticipated conflicts in Internet-mediated information, communications and entertainment (“ICE”). The resulting confrontations may stem from technological innovation, real or perceived changes in the marketplace, or the imperatives of prevailing jurisprudential, 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.

 

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; and

 

           Equity, Competition Policy and Consumer Protection Concerns--what, if anything, should governments do to remedy market failures.


Course Format and Performance Assessment

 

The course will examine a series of Internet law and policy issues.  You should prepare for each class by reading the assigned materials and generally taking responsibility for additional research to achieve a complete understanding of the positions taken by all major constituencies, or coalitions involved.  I place a significant premium on your attendance and coherent and considered participation in class.  You can access all of the assigned readings and most recommended readings via the Internet. 

 

            I want this course to engage and challenge you.  I assume you have decided to take the course because of a keen interest in the subject matter and a willingness to work hard in mastering complex and interdisciplinary materials.  By enrolling in this course, you agree to participate actively and to comply with all University rules and regulations. 


GRADING

 

The final course grade will factor in the following:

 

*          Four tests of equal weight                                                                                       

 

            In the spirit of fairness, I will drop the lowest grade provided you take all four tests.                                                                


 Disabilities

 

Please see me at your earliest convenience if you have a documented disability that requires any special consideration or arrangement.  

Academic Integrity

Pennsylvania State University does not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty under any circumstances.  Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly and creative activity in an open, honest and responsible manner, free from fraud and deception, and is an educational objective of the College of Communications and the University. Cheating, including plagiarism, falsification of research data, using the same assignment for more than one class, turning in someone else’s work, or passively allowing others to copy your work, will result in academic penalties at the discretion of the instructor, and may result in the grade of “XF’ (failed for academic dishonesty) being put on your permanent transcript. In serious cases, it could also result in suspension or dismissal from the university.

 

The rules and policies regarding academic integrity should be reviewed by every student, and can be found online at: <http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20>, and in the College of Communications document, “Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures.” Any student with a question about academic integrity or plagiarism is strongly encouraged to discuss it with his or her instructor. Students should be familiar with Senate Policy 49-20 of the Pennsylvania State Policies and Rules Handbook.


Basic Elements in the Course

 

            The study of, and careers in Internet-mediated Information, Communications and Entertainment (“ICE”) require an interdisciplinary perspective.  While you risk being “a mile wide and an inch deep” in several subject areas, you will gain perspective, a broader range of skills and greater employment marketability.  Of course, to develop such range you have to nurture intellectual curiosity, self-direction, mental nimbleness and a willingness to go beyond the apparent minimum required.

 

            Our first active learning exercise involves a self-assessment designed to help you determine whether you have the interest and willingness to thrive in this class and in messy and demanding interdisciplinary careers. While some of the questions below clearly favor students with access to discretionary funds, most simply examine whether you have retained knowledge and insights from prior telecommunications classes and whether your extracurricular activities corroborate your apparent interest in ICE and the law.

 

Basic Concepts Applicable to this Course

 

Law—the First Amendment, strict scrutiny/intermediate scrutiny; common carrier; 14th Amendment/interstate commerce; jurisdiction.

 

Sample Question:  When accessing a World Wide Web site, for purposes of determining jurisdiction do you establish a presence where the site is physically located, or does the site operator establish a presence in your state of residence?

 

Economics—economies of scale/scope; vertical and horizontal integration; natural monopoly, market failure, destructive competition; externalities, especially positive networking, cross-subsidization; All You Can Eat pricing.

 

Sample Question: What economic principles support marketplace and technological convergence, i.e., the formation of global megafirms such as Disney, News Corp., AOL-Time Warner; Sony, NBC-Universal, etc.?

 

Business—Stock market fear/greed; irrational exuberance/pessimism; capital expenditures vs. operating expenditures; depreciation/amortization; commoditization; margins.

 

Sample Question: What accounts for the diversification strategies of Google?

 

Engineering/Technology Management—TCP/IP; packet switching; distance insensitivity.

 

Sample Question: When, if ever, should governments intervene in the regulation of the Internet, radio spectrum, telecommunications standards, and availability of ICE equipments and services?


Unit One--Introduction

 

This section of the course will introduce the technology and business of the Internet and more specifically the convergence of Information, Communications and Entertainment (“ICE”).  Many of the industries making up the Internet have different cultures and legal frameworks.  We must appreciate that the Internet constitutes a “network of networks” and the convergent ICE marketplace requires skills in “Nethead,” “Bellhead” and “Cablehead” camps.

 

Assignment (to be sent to your email address):

The Economist, Survey: Telecoms—A World of Connections (April 26, 2007); available at: http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9032088; (Note there are several articles; scan all of them).

 

and/or

The Economist, Survey: Telecoms Convergence--Your television is ringing (Oct 12th 2006); available at: http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=7995312;  (Note there are several articles; scan all of them).

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Jonathan Zittrain, A History of Online Gatekeeping, 19 HARV. J.L. & TECH. 253 (Spring, 2006).

 

J. Steven Rich, Brand X and the Wireline Broadband Report and Order: The Beginning of the End of the Distinction Between Title I and Title II Services, 58 FED. COMM. L.J., No. 2, 221 (April, 2006).

 

Kevin Werbach, The Federal Computer Commission, 84 N.C. L. REV. 1 (Dec., 2005).

 

Ethan Zuckerman & Andrew McLaughlin, Introduction to Internet Architecture and Institutions,
(August, 2003); available at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/digitaldemocracy/internetarchitecture.html.

 

Barry M. Leiner, Vinton G. Cerf, David D. Clark, Robert E. Kahn, Leonard Kleinrock, Daniel C. Lynch, Jon Postel, Larry G. Roberts, Stephen Wolff, A Brief History of the Internet; available at:

http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.html.

 

Internet Glossaries

 

Teaching Library Internet Workshops, University of California, Berkeley

Glossary: Web Searching and Netscape Jargon; available at:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Glossary.html.

 

Matisse Enzer’s Glossary of Internet Terms; available at:

http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html.


Unit Two--Jurisprudential/Regulatory Models—What Degree of Government Intervention

is Appropriate for the Internet?

 

This unit will consider baseline models used in considering the proper scope of government oversight and regulation.  We will have to determine whether any pre-existing model works in view of the variety of different functions performed via the Internet.  Existing models, based on a First Amendment analysis and adjusted for technological, e.g., use of public spectrum, and economic characteristics, e.g., scarcity, may prove unsustainable.  In various applications, the Internet performs the functions of a casino, bank, shopping mall, porno shop, post office, telephone company, radio or television station, newspaper, travel agent, stockbroker, etc.

 

Most First Amendment purists believe in a “one size fits all” model that can apply equally to all media.  However, the Supreme Court has endorsed, and regulatory agencies have applied different public interest safeguards and regulations based on the type of medium: print; broadcasting; cable television; telephony; or the Internet.  We need to know about each regulatory/jurisprudential model and the following cases will help us make the distinctions.  Will these different models make sense if in the future the Internet provides a medium for all types of ICE services?

 

Assignments: 

 

Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844 (1997) available at: http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/96-511.ZS.html. Read the case summary called the syllabus and the majority opinion written by Justice Stevens.

    

National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. v. Brand X Internet Services, 125 S.Ct. 2688 (2005); available at: http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-277.ZS.html.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Top Internet-Related Cases and Statutes (U.S.), a collection of cases and statutes available at: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/tcs.htm.

  

Rob Frieden, Neither Fish Nor Fowl:  New Strategies for Selective Regulation of Information Services, 6 JOURNAL ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY LAW, No. 2 373-423 (2008); draft available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=102928.

 

Steven Aronowitz, Brand X Internet Services v. FCC: The Case of the Missing Policy Argument, 20 BERKELEY TECH. L. J. 887 (2005).


Unit Three--Which Court Has Jurisdiction?

 

            This unit will examine the difficulty in determining whether a court has jurisdiction to hear an Internet case.  Because of global accessibility, the Internet presents difficult questions about the enforceability of national laws.  We will consider whether Internet gamblers establish a virtual presence in the country serving as the home to gambling software and servers, or whether the offering of a gambling opportunity triggers liability in localities outlawing such activity.  We also will consider more broadly the link between Internet access and jurisdiction.

 

Case Studies

 

A)        Online Gambling

 

Assignment:

 

People v. World Interactive Gaming Corp., 185 Misc. 2d 852, 714 NYS.2d 844 (NY County Sup. Ct. 1999); available at: http://www.nycourts.gov/comdiv/Law%20Report%20Files/October%201999/Internet.htm.

 

B)        Online Access to Alcoholic Beverages

 

Assignment:

 

Granholm v. Heald, 544 U.S. 460 (2005); available at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-1116.ZS.html.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Mattia V. Corsiglia Murawski,  The Online Gambling Wager: Domestic and International Implications of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, 48 SANTA CLARA L. REV. 441 (2008).

 

James N. Brenner, Betting on Success: Can the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Help the United States Achieve its Internet Gambling Policy Goals?, 30 HASTINGS COMM. & ENT L.J. 109 (Fall, 2007).

 

Michael Grunfeld, Don't Bet on the United States' Internet Gambling Laws: The Tension Between Internet Gambling Legislation and World Trade Organization Commitments, 2007 COLUM. BUS. L. REV. 439.

 

Megan E. Frese, Rolling The Dice: Are Online Gambling Advertisers "Aiding And Abetting" Criminal Activity Or Exercising First Amendment-Protected Commercial Speech? 15 FORDHAM INTELL. PROP. MEDIA AND ENT. L. J. 547 (Winter 2005). 


Does Web Accessibility Trigger Jurisdiction?

 

Assignment:

 

Young v. New Haven Advocate, 315 F.3d 256, 31 Media L. Rep. 1695, 4th Cir. 2002); available at:  http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/012340.P.pdf.

 

Pebble Beach v. Caddy, 453 F.3d 1151 (9th Cir. 2006); available at:

http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/5814F4959DB08678882571A80075BE54/$file/0415577.pdf?openelement.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Kevin A. Meehan, The Continuing Conundrum of International Internet Jurisdiction, 31 B.C. INT'L & COMP. L. REV. 345 (Spring, 2008).

 

Eugene Kontorovich, The Inefficiency of Universal Jurisdiction, 2008 U. ILL. L. REV. 389.

 

Dr. Georgios I. Zekos, State Cyberspace Jurisdiction and Personal Cyberspace Jurisdiction, 15 INT'L J.L. & INFO. TECH. 1 (Spring, 2007).

 

Joann K. Coston, Embrace the New, But Don't Forget About the Old: Asserting Personal Jurisdiction Over the New Internet Age, 34 S.U. L. REV. 249 (2007).

 

Joel R. Reidenberg, Symposium, Current Debates in the Conflict of Laws Choice of Law and Jurisdiction on the Internet, Technology and Internet Jurisdiction, 153 U. PA. L. REV. 1951 (June, 2005). 


 

Feb 5th (estimate) First Test


 

Unit Four--Liability for Libel, IPR Violations and Other Torts

 

This unit will examine the scope of potential civil and criminal liability for transactions occurring in an Internet-mediated environment.  We will concentrate on assessing whether and how Internet mediation changes preexisting law relating to libel, intellectual property rights, and privacy.  In addition, we will consider how courts allocate liability between the tortfeasor and the carrier used to publish or extend the tort, i.e., Internet Service Providers.

 

A)        Hate Speech

           

Assignment:  

 

Excerpt from Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists, 290 F.3d 1058 (9th Cir. 2002); available at: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/pp-enbanc.htm.

 

Yahoo!, Inc. v. La Ligue Contre le Racisme et L’Antisemitisme, 379 F.3d 1120 (9th Cir. 2004); available at http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/D079531C495BC5E288256EF90055E54C/$file/0117424.pdf?openelement.

 

Recommended Readings

 

Gregory S. Cooper, A Tangled Web We Weave: Enforcing International Speech Restrictions in an Online World, 8 U. PITT. J. TECH. L. & POL'Y 2 (Fall, 2007).

 

John C. Knechtle, When to Regulate Hate Speech, 110 PENN ST. L. REV. 539 (2006).


 

B)        Libel/Defamation; Liability of ISP Intermediaries

 

Assignment:  

 

Go online and find the text of section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. Section 230.  Part of this assignment involves an assessment whether you can use the Internet for a specific task, i.e., finding a site that will display this section of the U.S. Code.

 

Zeran v. America Online, Inc., 129 F.3d 327 (4th Cir. 1997); available at: http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/971523.P.pdf.

 

Blumenthal v. Drudge, 992 F. Supp. 44 (D.D.C. 1998) available at http://www.epic.org/free_speech/blumenthal_v_drudge.html.

 

Jane Doe v. Myspace, Inc. Case No. 07-50345, slip op.  (5th Cir. 2008);

available at: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/5th/0750345cv0p.pdf.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Robert G. Magee, Information Conduits or Content Developers? Determining Whether News Portals Should Enjoy Blanket Immunity From Defamation Suits, 12 COMM. L. & POL'Y 369

(Autumn, 2007).

 

Matthew G. Jeweler, The Communications Decency Act of 1996: Why § 230 is Outdated and Publisher Liability for Defamation Should be Reinstated Against Internet Service Providers, 8 U. PITT. J. TECH. L. & POL’Y 3 (Fall, 2007).

 

University of Pennsylvania Law Review November, 2006 Articles Seth F. Kreimer

Censorship by Proxy: The First Amendment, Internet Intermediaries, and the Problem of the Weakest Link 155 U. PA. L. REV. 11 (Nov. 2006).


 

C)    Intellectual Property Rights—Copyright Law and the Balance of Power Between Copyright Owners and Consumers

 

Assignments

 

Religious Technology Center v. Netcom, 907 F. Supp. 1361 (N.D. Cal. 1995)

available at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/907_FSupp_1361.htm.

 

Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, 464 U.S. 417 (1984);

Read summary of case at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._v._Universal_City_Studios.

 

Perfect 10, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc. (9th Cir. 2007); available at: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/DE8297F56287C0BC882572DC007DACC6/$file/0655405.pdf.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

The Library of Congress, U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright Basics; available at:

http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html.

 

Portions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act: http://www.cs.princeton.edu/courses/archive/spr04/cos491/cases/dmca.html.

 

Dave Hauser, The DMCA and the Privatization of Copyright, 30 HASTINGS COMM. & ENT L.J. 339 (Winter 2008).

 

Bill D. Herman, Breaking and Entering My Own Computer: The Contest of Copyright Metaphors, 13 COMM. L. & POL’Y 231 (Spring, 2008). 

 

Rob Frieden, Internet Packet Sniffing and Its Impact On The Network Neutrality Debate and the Balance of Power Between Intellectual Property Creators and Consumers 18 FORDHAM INTELL. PROP. MEDIA & ENT. L. J. 633 (Spring, 2008).

 

Amy Kapczynski, The Access to Knowledge Mobilization and the New Politics of Intellectual Property, 117 YALE L. J. 804 (March, 2008).

 

Amy Kapczynski, The Access to Knowledge Mobilization and the New Politics of Intellectual Property, 117 YALE L. J. 804 (March, 2008).

 

Hyangsun Lee, The Audio Broadcast Flag System - Can It Be A Solution?, 12 COMM. L. & POL’Y 405 (Autumn, 2007).

 

Neil Weinstock Netanel, Temptations of The Walled Garden: Digital Rights Management And Mobile Phone Carriers, 6 J. TELECOMM. & HIGH TECH. L. 77 (Fall 2007).

 

Andrew William Bagley, Fair Use Rights in a World Of The Broadcast Flag and Digital Rights Management: Do Consumers Have a Chance?, 18 U. FLA. J.L. & PUB. POL’Y 115 (April, 2007).

 

Henry H. Perritt, Jr., New Architectures For Music: Law Should Get Out Of The Way

29 HASTINGS COMM. & ENT L.J. 259 (Spring 2007).

 

Julie E. Cohen, Creativity and Culture in Copyright Theory, 40 U.C. DAVIS L. REV. 1151 (2007).

 

Mark A. Lemley & Philip J. Weiser, Should Property Rules or Liability Rules Govern Information?, 85 TEX. L. REV. 783 (2007).

 

Jessica Litman, Lawful Personal Use, 85 TEX. L. REV. 1871 (June, 2007).

 

Joel Reidenberg, The Rule of Intellectual Property Law in The Internet Economy

44 HOUS. L. Rev. 1073 (2007).

 

Christopher S. Yoo, Copyright And Public Good Economics: A Misunderstood Relation

155 U. PA. L. REV. 635 (Jan. 2007).


Unit Five     IPR and the Delivery of Music and Peer-to-Peer Files

 

Assignment:

 

UMG Recordings, Inc. v. MP3.com, Inc., 92 F.Supp.2d 349 (S.D.N.Y., 2000); available at

http://www.internetlibrary.com/pdf/UMG-Recording-MP3.com-SDNY.pdf; or  

http://www.tomwbell.com/NetLaw/Ch07/UMG.html.

 

A & M Records v. Napster, 239 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2001); available at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/239_F3d_1004.htm.

 

MGM Studios v. Grokster, 545 U.S. 913, 125 S.Ct. 2764 (2005); available at: http://danfingerman.com/law/cases/Grokster.html.

 

Columbia Pictures, Inc. v. Justin Bunnell, 245 F.R.D. 443 (C.D. Cal. 2007).

available at: http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/torrentspy/columbia_v_bunnel_usdc_ruling.pdf.

 

The Cartoon Network et al v. CSC Holdings, Inc. et al, 536 F.3d 121 (2d Cir. 2008).

available at: http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/cablevision.pdf.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Charles B. Vincent, BitTorrent, Grokster, and Why Entertainment and Internet Lawyers Need to Prepare for the Fair Use Argument for Downloading TV Shows, 10 No. 11 J. INTERNET L. 1

(May, 2007).

Chia-heng Seetoo, Can Peer-To-Peer Internet Broadcast Technology Give Fans Another Chance? Peer-To-Peer Streaming Technology and Its Impact, 2007 U. ILL. J.L. TECH. & POL’Y 369.

 


March 5th (estimate) Second Test


 

Unit Six--Cybersquatting and Domain Names as Speech versus Property

 

            While one can argue persuasively for no government regulation or regulatory oversight of the Internet, many support some type of self-regulation.  In addition, we will get acquainted with trade name law and its relationship with domain name registration.

 

A)        Cyber-squatting

 

Assignment:  

 

MTV Networks v. Curry, 867 F. Supp. 202 (S.D.N.Y. 1994); available at: http://www.loundy.com/CASES/MTV_v_Curry.html.

 

Hasbro, Inc. v. Clue Computing, Inc. 66 F.Supp.2d 117 (D. Mass. 1999); short version available at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/property00/domain/HasbroShort.html.

 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. wallmartcanadasucks.com and Kenneth J. Harvey, WIPO Arbitration Case No. D2000-1104; available at: http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/decisions/html/2000/d2000-1104.html.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Greg Lastowka, Decoding Cyberproperty, 40 IND. L. REV. 23 (2007).

 

Jacqueline Lipton, Beyond Cybersquatting: Taking Domain Name Disputes Past Trademark Policy, 40 WAKE FOREST L. Rev. 1361 (2005).


Unit Seven--Cyberstalking, Privacy, Software as Speech, Encryption and National Security

 

            In this unit, we will explore some of the risks to national and individual security resulting from access to the Internet.  The Internet provides a forum for communications, including harmful, or conspiratorial messages.  We will consider the lawful and unlawful ways in which nations, corporations and individuals can mask their identity and activities.

 

A)        Cyberstalking

                                   

Assignment:  

 

United States v. Alkhabaz, 104 F 3d. 1492 (6th Cir. 1997); available at: http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/6th/970036p.html.

 

B)        Monitoring E-mail/Privacy Rights 

 

Assignment:

 

Intel v. Hamidi, 03 C.D.O.S. 5711 (Cal. Sup. Ct. 2003); available at: http://www.kentlaw.edu/classes/rwarner/ec/trespass/Intel%20v_%20Hamidi,%20Cal%20Supreme%20Court,%20June%202003.htm.

 

Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. v. Verizon Internet Services, Inc. (D.C. Cir. 2003); available at: http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/opinion-20031219.pdf.

 

Recommended Other Readings

 

Omega World Travel, Inc. v. Mummagraphics, Inc., 469 F.3d 348 (4th Cir. 2006)

available at: http://www.spamlaws.com/f/cases/omega1.pdf.

 

Fred H. Cate, Government Data Mining: The Need for a Legal Framework, 43 HARV. C.R.-C.L. L. Rev. 435 (Summer, 2008).

 

Katherine J. Strandburg, Freedom of Association in a Networked World: First Amendment Regulation of Relational Surveillance, 49 B.C. L. REV. 741 (May, 2008).

 

Jacob Kreutzer, Somebody has to Pay: Products Liability for Spyware, 45 AM. BUS. L.J. 61 (Spring, 2008).

 

Timothy Casey, Electronic Surveillance and the Right to be Secure, U.C. DAVIS L. REV. 977 (February, 2008).

 

Julie E. Cohen, Privacy, Visibility, Transparency, and Exposure, 75 U. CHI. L. REV. 181 (Winter, 2008).


 

C)        Cryptography and National Security

 

Assignment:  

 

U.S. Dept. of Justice v. Bernstein, 176 F.3d 1132 (9th Cir. 1999), available at http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/getcase/9th/case/9716686&exact=1.

 

background on the case available at: http://www.gigalaw.com/library/bernstein-doj-1999-05-06-p1.html.

 

Background on the AT&T Class Action law suit, Tash Hepting v. AT&T Corp., (N.D. Cal.); available at: http://www.eff.org/cases/att.

Recommended Other Readings

Aaron Perkins, Encryption Use: Law and Anarchy on the Digital Frontier, 41 HOUS. L. REV. 1625 (Spring, 2005).


Unit Eight--Electronic Commerce and Consumer Protection

           

            Electronic Commerce may constitute the Internet’s killer application.  Businesses and consumers will embrace Internet-mediation that offers faster, better, cheaper, smarter and more convenient delivery of products and services.  We will examine how existing laws and policies governing commerce must change to accommodate transactions over the Internet.

 

Clip Wrap Licensing and Contracts of Adhesion

 

Assignment:  

 

ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenberg, 908 F. Supp. 640 (W.D. Wisc.), rev’d, 86 F.3d 1447 (7th Cir. 1996); available at http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/7th/961139.html.

 

Specht v. Netscape Communications Corp., 306 F.3d. 17 (2d Cir. 2002); available at: http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/getcase/2nd/case/017860v2&exact=1.

 

Marc Bragg v. Linden Research, Inc., 487 F.Supp.2d 593 (E.D. Pa. 2007); available at:

http://pub.bna.com/eclr/064925_053007.pdf.

Recommended Other Readings

Ronald J. Mann, Just One Click: The Reality of Internet Retail Contracting, 108 COLUM. L. REV. 984 (May, 2008).

Liability of Auction Intermediaries

 

Assignment:   Tiffany, Inc. v. EBay, Inc., No. 04 CIV 4607, Slip Op. (S.D.N.Y. July 14, 2008)

available at: http://www1.nysd.uscourts.gov/cases/show.php?db=special&id=83; summary of case available at: http://commonlawjournal.com/cmacedo/art/138/.

 


Third Test April 9th (estimate)


 

Unit Nine-- Antitrust and Nondiscrimination Enforcement in Cyberspace

 

            In this section, we will examine whether and how marketplace self-regulation may not sufficiently protect ICE consumers.  Antitrust laws seeks to prevent market manipulation that harms consumers.  These laws should not punish a company for exploiting scale economies, or innovations that have resulted in a monopoly, or dominant market share.  On the other hand, there are a number of anticompetitive practices that companies individually and collectively use that harm consumers.  The network neutrality debate extends our analysis into what, if any, role governments should assume to ensure fair and nondiscriminatory access to Internet content.        

 

A)        Antitrust Enforcement

 

Assignment:  

 

Read the summary of United States v. Microsoft, 147 F.3d 935 (D.C. Cir.  1998), available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft.

Recommended Other Readings

Timothy J. Brennan, Bundled Rebates as Exclusion Rather Than Predation, 4 J. COMPT. L. & ECON. 335 (June, 2008).

 

Spencer Weber Waller, Areeda, Epithets, and Essential Facilities, 2008 WIS. L. REV. 359.

 

Daniel A. Crane, Technocracy and Antitrust, 86 TEX. L. REV. 1159 (May, 2008).

 

David S. Evans, Antitrust Issues Raised by the Emerging Global Internet Economy,

102 NW. U. L. REV. 285 (April 28, 2008).

Brett Frischmann, Revitalizing Essential Facilities, 75 ANTITRUST L.J. 1 (2008).

Jim Chen, The Echoes of Forgotten Footfalls: Telecommunications Mergers at the Dawn of the Digital Millennium, 43 HOUSTON L. REV. 1311 (Spr. 2007).

 

Nicholas Economides, Hit and Miss: Leverage, Sacrifice, and Refusal to Deal in the Supreme Court Decision in Trinko, 10 VAND. J. ENT. & TECH. L. 121 (Fall 2007).

 

Daniel F. Spulber, Mandating Access to Telecom and the Internet: The Hidden Side of Trinko, 107 COLUM. L. REV. 1822 (December, 2007).

 

Hannibal Travis, Wi-Fi Everywhere: Universal Broadband Access as Antitrust and Telecommunications Policy, 55 AM. U. L. REV. 1697 (August, 2006).

 

B)        Network Neutrality

 

Assignment:  

 

Appropriate Framework for Broadband Access to the Internet over Wireline Facilities, CC Docket No. 02-33, Policy Statement (2005); available at: http://www.publicknowledge.org/pdf/FCC-05-151A1.pdf.

 

Formal Complaint of Free Press and Public Knowledge Against Comcast Corporation for Secretly Degrading Peer-to-Peer Applications, File No. EB-08-IH-1518, Memorandum Opinion and Order, FCC 08-183 (rel. Aug. 20, 2008); available at: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-183A1.doc

(read pages 1-34).

 

Theodore Frank and Maureen Jeffreys, Arnold and Porter, Recent Developments in

the U.S. on Network Neutrality (2009); available at: http://www.arnoldporter.com/resources/documents/TEL09_Arnold%20&%20Porter_ver2.pdf.

Recommended Other Readings

C. Scott Hemphill, Network Neutrality and the False Promise of Zero-Price Regulation, 25 YALE J. ON REG. 135 (Summer, 2008).

 

Philip J. Weiser, The Next Frontier For Network Neutrality, 60 ADMIN. L. REV. 273 (Spring, 2008).

 

Rob Frieden, Internet Packet Sniffing and Its Impact on the Network Neutrality Debate and the Balance of Power Between Intellectual Property Creators and Consumers, 18 FORDHAM INTEL PROP. MEDIA &  ENT. L. J., No. 3. 633 (2008); draft available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=102928.

 

Dan G. Barry, The Effect of Video Franchising Reform on Net Neutrality: Does the Beginning of IP Convergence Mean That It is Time For Net Neutrality Regulation,

24 SANTA CLARA COMPT. & HIGH TECH. L.J. 421 (January, 2008).

 

T. Randolph Beard, Network Neutrality and Industry Structure, 29 HASTINGS COMM. & ENT L.J. 149 (Winter 2007).

 

Jerry Brito, A Tale of Two Commissions: Net Neutrality and Regulatory Analysis, 16 COMMLAW CONSPECTUS 1 (2007).

 

Frieden, Rob, A Primer on Network Neutrality, 43 INTERECON. REV. OF  EUR. ECON. POL’Y., No. 1, 4 (Jan./Feb. 2008).

 

Frieden, Rob, Keeping the Internet Neutral?: A Response to the Wu-Yoo Debate, 59 FED. COMM. L. J., Forum (2007); available at: http://www.law.indiana.edu/fclj/pubs/forum/Frieden_v59i3_forum.pdf.

 

Larry F. Darby, Consumer Welfare, Capital Formation and Net Neutrality: Paying for Next Generation Broadband Networks, 16 MEDIA L. & POL'Y 122 (Summer 2007).

 

Tim Wu and Christopher S. Yoo,   Keeping the Internet Neutral?: Tim Wu and Christopher Yoo Debate, 59 FED. COMM. L. J. 575 (June, 2007).  

 

Rob Frieden, Internet 3.0: Identifying Problems and Solutions to the Network Neutrality Debate, 1 INT’L J. OF COMM., 461 (2007); available at: http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/view/160/86.

 

Rob Frieden, Network Neutrality or Bias?--Handicapping the Odds for a Tiered and Branded Internet, 29 HASTINGS COMM. & ENT. L. J. No. 2, 171-216 (2007);

 

Brett Frischmann & Barbara van Schewick, Yoo’s Frame and What It Ignores: Network Neutrality and the Economics of an Information Superhighway, 47 JURIMETRICS J. 383 (2007).

 

Amit M. Schejter, “Justice, and Only Justice, You Shall Pursue”: Network Neutrality, the First Amendment and John Rawls's Theory of Justice, 14 MICH. TELECOMM. & TECH. L. REV. 137 (Fall 2007).

 

Lawrence Lessig, In Support of Network Neutrality, I/S: J. L. & POL'Y FOR INFO. SOC’Y 185 (Spring, 2007).

 

Robert E. Litan, Unintended Consequences of Net Neutrality Regulation, 5 J. TELECOM. & High Tech. L. 533 (Spring 2007).

Randolph J. May, Net Neutrality Mandates: Neutering the First Amendment in the Digital Age, I/S: J. L. & POL'Y FOR INFO. SOC’Y. 197 (Spring, 2007).

 

Barbara van Schewick, Towards an Economic Framework for Network Neutrality Regulation, 5 J. ON TELECOMM. & HIGH TECH. L. 329 (2007).

 

Howard A. Shelanski, Network Neutrality: Regulating With More Questions Than Answers, 6 J. TELECOMM. & HIGH TECH. L. 23 (Fall 2007).  

 

C.        Online Discrimination

 

Assignment:   Chicago Lawyers; Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. v. Craigslist, Inc., 461 F.Supp.2d 681, Case No. 06 C 0657 (N.D. Ill., November 14, 2006) aff'd __ F.3d __(7th Cir. Mar. 14, 2008); available at: http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/fdocs/docs.fwx?submit=rss_sho&shofile=07-1101_021.pdf. summary available at: http://www.internetlibrary.com/cases/lib_case448.cfm.

 

Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley v. Roomates.com, Inc. 2008 WL 879293 (9th Cir. April 3, 2008); available at: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/F71559D8162BA7EE8825741F00771BC1/$file/0456916.pdf?openelement; summary available at: http://www.internetlibrary.com/cases/lib_case484.cfm.

 


April 30th Fourth Test