The purpose of the course is to advise web personnel of the potential legal issues that can occur with an Internet/Intranet website so that these issues can be brought forth to managers, owners, etc. if they arise. This is a foundation course that should be taken by all individuals working with websites today. Any individual whose job functions include dealing with a website, whether as designer, webmaster, tech support personnel, or network administrator responsible for the upkeep of a web server should take this course. This course is also highly relevant to individuals working in or training for jobs in the e-commerce field. Since this is a foundation-level course, any course taken afterward will suffice.

• Explain how the Internet evolved describing its terminology and technology
• Explain the business and consumer use of the Internet including e-commerce, effects of globalization, etc.
• Describe the challenges of regulating Internet traffic and its related security issues
• Discuss the legal issues related to the use of the Internet including common law principles, personal jurisdiction, and how an e-business can control where it can be sued and what law will apply (known as purposefully availing itself to doing business)
• Explain the distinction between a static and dynamic web site and why that distinction is relevant to Internet jurisdiction.

• Define a trademark under the Lanham Act including trademark dilution and its application to e-commerce
• Explain how metatags can be a possible trademark infringement
• Knowledgeably discuss the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act of 1999 and its use in protecting trademark owners of a domain name holder and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
• Explain what subject matter may be copyrighted on an e-business web site.
• Discuss the exclusive statutory rights granted and limitations of the online owner of a federally registered copyright
• Explain copyright liability to online service providers
• Discuss the legal remedies for a copyright infringement

• Explain the basic concepts of contract law identifying the elements of a contract
• Identify those contractual issues that most affect online commerce
• Discuss the requirements for a state to obtain tax jurisdiction over an out-of-state e-business
• Knowledgeably discuss the Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 and any recent changes/amendments to the Act
• Explain the significance of the Quill Corporation vs. North Dakota to the taxation of e-commerce transactions
• Describe the offering of security interests in businesses and how this is accomplished over the Internet

• Explain the federal and state constitutional sources of the right to privacy including the four common law torts for invasion of the right to privacy
• Describe privacy as it relates to employers and employees in the workplace and, in particular, the use of email
• Discuss the Miller three-prong test used for determining obscenity and its application to material disseminated via the Internet
• Discuss the elements in proving or establishing liability for transmitting obscene material
• Explain the common law tort of defamation and its forms, slander, libel, and business or product disparagement
• Explain the application of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to online service providers

• Explain the need for and challenges of secure communications and networks
• Discuss current methods of achieving security online
• Describe the legal challenges in the use of cryptography
• Explain what computer crimes are and the various laws under which they may be prosecuted
• Explain the difference between those communications in which the sender is anonymous and those in which the sender is accountable

• Identify the internal organizations that have adopted regulations, policies, and programs dealing with electronic commerce and information technology
• Describe the jurisdiction of international organizations to and enforce international laws and to adjudicate international disputes
• Compare and contrast the issues of finance, contract law, taxation, etc. between the national and international arenas.