Internet Law - Guide to Cyberspace Law






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Internet Law covers a wide range of legal issues which deal with privacy, censorship and sale of goods on the Internet. Additional legal resources and information can be found in our Computer Law, Data Protection, Information Technology Law, Privacy Law and Telecommunications Law Guides.

E-Commerce Law covers legislation regarding the use of Internet by businesses.

Criminal laws dealing with the misuse of the Internet can be found in our Computer Crime and Cyberspace Crime Law Guides.


Internet Law - US

  • Electronic Communications Privacy Act

    The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA Pub. L. 99-508, Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1848, 18 U.S.C. § 2510)[2] was enacted by the United States Congress to extend government restrictions on wire taps from telephone calls to include transmissions of electronic data by computer. Specifically, ECPA was an amendment to Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Wiretap Statute), which was primarily designed to prevent unauthorized government access to private electronic communications.

  • Limitations on Liability Relating to Material Online

    A service provider shall not be liable for monetary relief, or, except as provided in subsection (j), for injunctive or other equitable relief, for infringement of copyright by reason of the provider’s transmitting, routing, or providing connections for, material through a system or network controlled or operated by or for the service provider, or by reason of the intermediate and transient storage of that material in the course of such transmitting, routing, or providing connections.

  • Protection for Piivate Blocking and Screening of Offensive Material

    The rapidly developing array of Internet and other interactive computer services available to individual Americans represent an extraordinary advance in the availability of educational and informational resources to our citizens.

  • Unlawful Access to Stored Communications

    Offense - Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section whoever: (1) intentionally accesses without authorization a facility through which an electronic communication service is provided; or (2) intentionally exceeds an authorization to access that facility; and thereby obtains, alters, or prevents authorized access to a wire or electronic communication while it is in electronic storage in such system shall be punished as provided in subsection (b) of this section.

Organizations Related to Internet Law

  • Adult Internet Law

    The primary goal of AdultInternetLaw.com is to provide you with the legal advice you need. We want to make sure you are positioned to maximize the potential of your adult business while guarding against unnecessary risk. To accomplish this, you need to avoid many of the pitfalls that come with inexperience. We help you with this in a number of ways.

  • Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

    From the Internet to the iPod, technologies are transforming our society and empowering us as speakers, citizens, creators, and consumers. When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. EFF broke new ground when it was founded in 1990 — well before the Internet was on most people's radar — and continues to confront cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights today. From the beginning, EFF has championed the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights.

  • Internet Society (ISOC)

    The Internet Society (ISOC) is a nonprofit organisation founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education and policy. We are dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world.

Publications Related to Internet Law

  • ACLU - Internet Censorship

    The ACLU's vision of an uncensored Internet was clearly shared by the U.S. Supreme Court when it declared, in Reno v. ACLU, the Internet to be a free speech zone, deserving at least as much First Amendment protection as that afforded to books, newspapers and magazines. The government, the court said, can no more restrict a person's access to words or images on the Internet than it could be allowed to snatch a book out of a reader's hands in the library, or cover over a statue of a nude in a museum.

  • BitLaw - Internet Law and Intellectual Property Rights

    Courts around the world are creating Internet law right now--a process that is both exciting and frightening to watch. Unlike other areas of commerce that can turn to historical traditions to help settle disputes and guide the development of the law, the law of the Internet has no history to fall back on. "Cyber law" is instead being developed by judges who must do their best to fit legal disputes on the Internet into preexisting legal frameworks. As a result, the legal principles governing conduct and commerce in cyberspace are still in a state of flux. Claims of trademark and copyright infringement have become common place items on the World Wide Web.

  • Internet Governance Forum

    This is the official Web site of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), run by the IGF Secretariat. Its purpose is to support the United Nations Secretary-General in carrying out the mandate from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) with regard to convening a new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue - the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The site provides an interactive, collaborative space where all stakeholders can air their views and exchange ideas.

Articles on HG.org Related to Internet Law

  • Defamation: What it is and How to Deal with it
    Defamation is when someone tells one or more persons an untruth about you, and that untruth harms your reputation. Defamation is the general term, while slander and libel refer to particular types of defamation. Libel is a written defamation, and slander is verbal. There are three key factors to consider when deciding whether a defamatory statement should be taken to court.
  • Bipartisan Bill Looks to Crack Down on Rogue Websites
    A bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives recently introduced legislation intended to combat the illegal distribution of counterfeit goods via rogue websites hosted overseas. The proposed bill greatly expands protections for intellectual property (IP) and, if passed, would bring sweeping changes to copyright law.
  • Facebook Pictures and Privacy Concerns with Facial Recognition Technology
    Face Recognition Technology
  • Your New Hire’s Non-Compete Agreement
    For years you’ve admired your top competitor’s ability to design and market new products that have, much to your frustration, consistently outsold yours. Now one of the key members of your competitor’s marketing team is sitting in your office asking YOU for a job. As he describes to you how he thinks he can position your products for triple-digit sales growth, you can’t help but think to yourself, “is this too good to be true?”
  • Is it Time to Update Your Company’s Non-Disclosure/Non-Compete Agreement?
    An employee non-disclosure/non-competition agreement (NDA/non-compete) is a vital part of any company’s intellectual property protection program. Too often though, companies use the same form agreement for years even though its legal value may have eroded due to changes in the law or changes in the business. The following are some things to consider in determining whether it may be time to update your company’s NDA/non-compete.
  • Why Every Employer Needs a Social Media Policy
    Social media sites can be a cost effective way to generate new business, but it is not without its pitfalls. There are an increasing number of cases where an employees' use of social media has created problems at the workplace, including ownership disputes of account and the outcome of YouTube video postings.
  • Hedge Funds and Data Protection
    Hedge funds are increasingly subject to international and local data protection regulations. The amount of personal data held by hedge funds and service providers continues to grow. As obligations to collect data increases with new regulations such as FATCA hedge fund managers and other service providers must pay attention to data protection laws and regulations.
  • Accused of Phishing, Hacking or Identity Theft? Why You Need a Kansas City Internet Fraud Attorney
    With the explosive and continued growth of the internet, it is no surprise that more and more crimes are committed such as phishing, computer hacking, identity theft, fraudulent transactions and other illegal activity. If you have been accused of such an offense, it is critical that you speak with a capable Kansas City internet fraud attorney right away. Without effective legal counsel, your reputation, career and future are at stake.
  • Intellectual Property Theft: Is SOPA the Solution?
    The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, is a United States bill introduced in October of 2011 in order to help combat the online theft of intellectual property and its injurious consequences, both for large companies and for artists personally. While supported by movie studios in California, the Act became the focus of widespread criticism and an online protest. A lawyer explains the Act, its controversy, and examines whether it could serve as a solution to the problem of online piracy.
  • What is a Ponzi Scheme? Your New Jersey Tax Lawyer Explains
    You’ve probably heard a lot about Ponzi schemes recently in the news — about people becoming unimaginably wealthy through fraud, only to watch their empires, built on dishonesty, collapse about them — but how many people who are not NJ tax attorneys truly understand what a Ponzi scheme is and how it works? Grasp the fundamentals of a Ponzi scheme, and you too can keep yourself from being victimized by perpetuators of this white collar crime.
  • All Science and Technology Law Articles

    Articles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to Science and Technology including: biotechnology, chemical law, computer and software, data protection, information technology, internet law, research and development, telecommunications law.