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Syllabus
NOTE: most links broken; substance badly out of date.
 
Syllabus -- Cyberspace Law/Spring 2002
Faculty Associate Brad Biddle
Arizona State University School of Law

Additional course info here 

I.  Introduction: What is “Cyberspace”? What is “Cyberspace Law”?  (Jan. 14) [slides (pdf)][links to slides currently broken; slides avail. upon request]
Course logistics.  Professor introduction and background.  What is “cyberspace”?  Is cyberspace law the “law of the horse”?  Generalizations about cyberspace regulation to date.  A roadmap for the course.  A brief overview of the many cyberspace law topics we won’t be discussing in depth.

Required Reading:
  • Lawrence Lessig, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Preface, Part I and Part IV (pages 1-43, 213-239)
  • ACLU v. Reno, Part II “Findings of Fact” only  <http://www.aclu.org/court/cdadec.html>  (These Findings of Fact were adopted wholesale by the U.S. Supreme Court in <http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=96-511>; the numbering scheme in the district court decision will be useful for us, however.  We’ll revisit the substantive issues in this case later class; for now, just focus on the description of the Internet.)
    • Optional Reading:


    II.  Governing the ‘Net: How Can/Should Cyberspace be Regulated?  (Jan. 28 [slides (pdf)], Feb. 4 [slides (pdf)])
    How can and should the Internet be regulated?  What law applies to Internet activities? Which authorities can exercise power over Internet actors? Are new authorities or institutions needed?  Key legal focus areas: state jurisdiction, international jurisdiction, dormant commerce clause.  Can the Hague Treaty solve the international jurisdiction problem? ICANN as an example of a new regulating authority.

    Required Reading:Optional Reading:


    III.  The Copyright/Content Wars (Feb 11 [slides (pdf)], 18 [slides(pdf)], 25 [slides(pdf)])
    High stakes culture war?  The challenge to copyright law posed by the Internet.  Legislative and judicial responses.  Copyright basics, derivative liability, “anti-circumvention.”  Digital rights management.  The open source movement.

    Required Reading:Optional Reading:


    IV.  Civil and criminal "trespass" in cyberspace; plus, the Spam Menace  (March 4 [slides(pdf)])
    Can the ancient legal doctrine of "trespass to chattels" be used to “wall off” cyberspace? To protect otherwise unprotectable factual data? Can the CFAA serve these purposes? Plus more on regulating spam.

    Required Reading:Optional Reading:


    V.  eContracting, eSignatures, PKI and UCITA (March 18 [CLASS CANCELLED], March 25 [slides(pdf)])
    Forming contracts online.  Shrinkwrap, bootscreen, clickthrough and browsewrap agreements.  E-SIGN, UETA and UCITA.  The PKI debate and its legacy.  Hard international issues.

    Required Reading:
    Optional Reading:
    • TBD


    VI.  Privacy and anonymity (April 1 [slides(pdf)])
    The privacy debate.  Privacy policies. Privacy torts, COPPA, GLB, the ECPA and other legislation.  The E.U. Directive.

    Required Reading:
    • Lessig, Code Chapter 11 “Privacy” (pages 142-163)
    Optional Reading:


    VII.  Regulating speech on the ‘Net  (April 8 [slides(pdf)])
    The First Amendment in cyberspace.

    Required Reading:Optional Reading:
    • TBD


    VIII.  Non-IP-related derivative liability and the CDA  (April 15 [slides(pdf)])
    The profound effects of a 26-word remnant of the CDA.

    Required Reading:Optional Reading:
    • TBD


    IX.  A hurried overview of domain name law, and course summary  (April 22 [slides(pdf)])
    WIPO, ICANN, the UDRP and the ACPA.  Review of what we’ve covered, and a reiteration of the fact that there is much we have not covered.

    Required Reading:Optional Reading: