Law and Society Approaches to Cyberspace

Book excerpt: During the past decade, the rise of online communication has proven to be particularly fertile ground for academic exploration at the intersection of law and society. Scholars have considered how best to apply existing law to new technological problems but they also have returned to first principles, considering fundamental questions about what law is, how it is formed and its relation to cultural and technological change. This collection brings together many of these seminal works, which variously seek to interrogate assumptions about the nature of communication, knowledge, invention, information, sovereignty, identity and community. From the use of metaphor in legal opinions about the internet, to the challenges posed by globalization and deterritorialization, to the potential utility of online governance models, to debates about copyright, free expression and privacy, this collection offers an invaluable introduction to cutting-edge ideas about law and society in an online era. In addition, the introductory essay both situates this work within the trajectory of law and society scholarship and summarizes the major fault lines in ongoing policy debates about the regulation of online activity.