Internet law is an area of practice rather than an area of law.
Whilst there are a handful of legal instruments that are largely or wholly concerned with the internet – notably the Ecommerce Directive and its implementing legislation – the law of the internet mostly derives from other areas of law: intellectual property law, telecommunications law, marketing law, data protection law, the law of privacy, defamation law, contract law, negligence: the full list would be long indeed.
Non-contentious internet law
One aspect of internet law is advisory and documentary: ensuring that websites and web applications comply with applicable regulatory requirements and manage legal risks in an appropriate way. The preparation of appropriate legal documentation – such as contractual terms and conditions – is commonly an element of this process.
Contentious internet law
Another aspect is contentious: dealing with disputes relating to the internet. These may be traditional types of dispute that have simply moved online (such as copyright infringement proceedings) or novel types of dispute that only occur online (such as domain name disputes).
Advice and assistance
SEQ Legal and several of our law firm partners have particularly broad and deep expertise in internet law, so please do get in touch if you require any legal help.
