The challenge of borders lies at the very heart of cyberlaw. Most observers have long argued that the Internet presents lawmakers with a jurisdictional dilemma: The Internet is viewed as "borderless," but law is best characterized as "bordered" because national laws typically stop at the border.
Columns Archive
Public’s Role in Net Governance Threatened
As the Internet blossomed from a small community of users to a global phenomenon in the mid-1990s, the governance of the domain name system underwent a similarly dramatic change.
Time to Hit Delete Key on Weak Spam Policy
Few issues raise the ire of Internet users as much as the unending torrent of unsolicited commercial e-mail, better known as spam, that clogs their e-mail in-boxes each day. What was once generally viewed as a minor nuisance has grown into a monster as users' delete keys wither under an onslaught of e-mails touting get-rich-quick schemes, pornography, and the like.
Appeal Court Ruling the Latest Word on On-line Music
From Quebec language laws to Internet lotteries, Canadian courts have addressed an unprecedented array of cyberlaw issues in 2002. This month, the Federal Court of Appeal entered the scene, issuing its much-anticipated "tariff 22" decision. The ruling provides the latest word on the dissemination of music on-line, the liability of Internet service providers, Internet jurisdiction, and the copyright law balance, all within the context of a potential on-line music royalty.
Web Lottery Case Misses Legal Jackpot
If an Ontario resident purchases a lottery ticket on a Web site hosted in Prince Edward Island, does the purchase occur in Ontario or PEI?