Jurisdiction and the Internet
Regulatory Competence over Online Activity

In this 2007 book, Kohl examines the legitimacy and effectiveness of attempts to regulate the online world.

Uta Kohl (Author)

9780521184083, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 16 December 2010

346 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.51 kg

Review of the hardback: 'Jurisdiction and the Internet provides a thoughtful and engaging consideration of the past, present and future law. The authors enthusiasm for this subject is clear. Each chapter is a loving analysis with compelling arguments for change. …Jurisdiction and the Internet is well written and provides an engaging account of the law. …Jurisdiction and the Internet is a unique look at the important issue of jurisdiction and its application to the internet. It is superbly written and explains the important principles in a clear and accessible way. By doing so, it encourages the reader to delve further into the text or undertake further research. Its price also means that it it excellent value for money.' Student Law Journal

Which state has and should have the right and power to regulate sites and online events? Who can apply their defamation or contract law, obscenity standards, gambling or banking regulation, pharmaceutical licensing requirements or hate speech prohibitions to any particular Internet activity? Traditionally, transnational activity has been 'shared out' between national sovereigns with the aid of location-centric rules which can be adjusted to the transnational Internet. But can these allocation rules be stretched indefinitely, and what are the costs for online actors and for states themselves of squeezing global online activity into nation-state law? Does the future of online regulation lie in global legal harmonisation or is it a cyberspace that increasingly mirrors the national borders of the offline world? This book offers some uncomfortable insights into one of the most important debates on Internet governance.

1. Jurisdiction and the Internet
2. Law - too lethargic for the online era?
3. The tipping point in law
4. Many destinations but no map
5. The solution: only the country of origin?
6. The lack of enforcement power - a curse or a blessing?
7. A 'simple' choice: more global law or a less global Internet.

Subject Areas: IT & Communications law [LNQ], E-commerce law [LNCB2]