Internet & E-Commerce Law (Schwartz)

This is a perspectives course. It will cover legislation, case law and practical drafting techniques in many areas in order to better equip students in the practice of law, and at the same time invite students to reflect upon the political and social issues that arise as “cyberlaw” develops.

Subject matter of the course: the legislation, court decisions, policy debates and practical drafting and litigation techniques connected with the internet and commerce.

A variety of issues will be covered, including:

• freedom of expression issues: jurisdiction, internet speech regulation;
• online privacy issues;
• intellectual property issues, including  domain names and downloading of copyright material;
• internet commerce issues, such as the law of contracts pertaining to online contracting;
• online dispute resolution in commerce matters, including court proceedings and arbitration;
• the potential for digital communication and voting to be an instrument for implement Indigenous self-government, including for communities whose membership is partly resident outside of a traditional land base.

Attendance: Mandatory. More than two classes missed without reasonable excuse will result in grade penalties.