Internet Jurisdiction : The International Perspective

Abstract

The Internet is not defined by the geographic boundaries that govern nations and laws of the non-virtual world. Without a clear jurisdictional framework for the Internet, scholars, businessmen, and laypersons have been left to decipher in a piecemeal fashion what set of laws and norms, if any, shall govern this forum. With an expected global explosion of online activity, questions of international Internet jurisdiction are certain to arise with increasing frequency in the coming years. It leaves one to question what online jurisdictional principles are currently being followed and what these trends indicate for the next decade. The present situation warrants a scholarly discussion of the online jurisdictional principles currently being followed, alternative policy mechanisms that have been proposed, and what these trends indicate for the next decade of Internet activity.