BKPRILFB.RVW   20051117

"Practical Internet Law for Business", Kurt M. Saunders, 2001,
1-58053-003-6, U$73.00
%A   Kurt M. Saunders
%C   685 Canton St., Norwood, MA   02062
%D   2001
%G   1-58053-003-6
%I   Artech House/Horizon
%O   U$73.00 800-225-9977 fax: 617-769-6334 artech@artech-house.com
%O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580530036/robsladesinterne
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580530036/robsladesinte-21
%O   http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580530036/robsladesin03-20
%O   Audience s- Tech 1 Writing 2 (see revfaq.htm for explanation)
%P   162 p.
%T   "Practical Internet Law for Business"

The preface states that this book is intended to allow business and
system managers to understand the legal issues surrounding electronic
commerce.

Chapter one provides a brief and basic historical overview of the
Internet, stressing the decentralized nature, and the fact that nobody
is in charge.  Jurisdiction, and the rulings in regard to it, are
discussed in chapter two.  (Somewhat ironically, in view of the topic,
while international decisions are mentioned, the material is
definitely oriented to the legal system of the United States.) 
Encryption is the topic of chapter three, which deals with export
controls on cryptographic software (even though the regulations have
been extensively liberalized) and electronic signature laws (even
though many of these laws allow for completely unencrypted
"signatures").  Chapter four very briefly examines the issue of trade
secrets, seemingly without much relation to the Internet.  Trademarks,
on the other hand, do have a great deal of relevance to the net in
cybersquatting cases and the like, and are addressed in chapter five. 
Some of the material on copyright, in chapter six, repeats content
dealt with in chapter five.  Chapter seven provides an interesting and
detailed examination of email privacy in the workplace.  Chapter eight
is rather vague, since its definition of "online crime" is not very
specific.  (Some of the case law presented is also reported
simplistically: the account of United States vs Thomas, for example,
does not deal with the issue of community standards that made the
material legal in California but not in Tennessee.)  The book closes
with patent law, in chapter nine (oddly separated from the other
intellectual property topics in chapters four to six), most of which
deals with the non-patentability of software.

This work is a lot about law, and not very much about the Internet. 
How practical it may be is a question that individual readers will
have to answer.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2005   BKPRILFB.RVW   20051117