InternetNZ and Victoria University to tackle new opportunities

InternetNZ (Internet New Zealand Inc) and Victoria University of Wellington have announced that their strategic partnership to develop capacity, expertise and public understanding of the Internet and the law has taken on a new focus.

The two partners have had an agreement since November 2003 to establish an InternetNZ Research Fellowship in Cyber Law at Victoria’s School of Law. Over this period, four Cyber Law Fellows have undertaken research; contributed to teaching at the Honours and Masters levels; and conducted outreach programmes to the wider public. They were:

- Internet regulation lawyer and University of Eotvos Lorand graduate Judit Bayer. Her research topic was ‘Liability of Internet Service Providers for Third Party Content’.
- Former Senior Counsel for Internet Technology at the United States Department of Commerce Philip Greene. His research topic was ‘Keyword Advertising and other Invisible uses of Third-party Trade Marks in Online Advertising’.
- US IP lawyer Cynthia LaBerge. Her research topic was on ‘To what extent should national security interests override privacy in a post 9/11 world?’
- Canadian lawyer and Colombia Law School graduate Jonathon Penney. His research topic was ‘Open Connectivity, Open Data: Two Dimensions of the Freedom to Seek, Receive and Impart Information’.

As well as publication of substantial research papers relating to a range of Internet issues, the Cyber Law Fellows have contributed significantly to a dialogue between the Law School, the Internet community and legal and policy communities.

InternetNZ Chief Executive Vikram Kumar says “This is the right time to change tack. Our goals remain the same but there is a need and an opportunity to take into account emerging trends. For example, the increased interest in intellectual property laws and the growing Government involvement in online activities.”

Both partners explored various options to build on the successful foundation. The result is that InternetNZ and the Victoria University’s New Zealand Centre of International Economic Law (NZCIEL) have signed a new partnership agreement. Under the Agreement NZCIEL will be funded to deliver quality conferences and publications targeted at all people interested in how existing laws are adapted and new laws are made to address Internet issues.

“This is an exciting area of law which is relevant to a vast number of New Zealanders. We will provide a neutral forum where interested parties can get together to discuss the issues and hear about the latest advances,” says Professor Susy Frankel, Co-director of the NZCIEL.

Three conferences will be held over four to five years with the Internet and the law as the linkage. Within this overall ambit, each conference will have a specific theme. The first conference will be held in the first half of 2012.

InternetNZ funding for this partnership is being managed through the Victoria University Foundation.

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