International Law of Google
Convened by Benedict Kingsbury, Thomas Streinz, and Joseph H.H. Weiler
This course explores the transnational digital and legal orders, in which large internet corporations are making and re-shaping the rules, and interactions with international law and national regulatory systems. Part I begins with basics about the Internet’s technological foundations, infrastructure, and governance. We then canvas core legal concepts and ideas about cyber-law,cyber-conflicts, and regulation (eg anti-trust, privacy, tort, jurisdiction, state responsibility) in global contexts. In Part II, invited speakers from industry and academia discuss current controversies, novel technologies, and regulatory challenges. We seek collectively to distill from this some of the most promising ideas for rethinking international law in the digital era. Part III consists of simulations and reflections on lawyering in a global digital corporation, assisted by a lawyer from Google. Students will learn about the interaction between lawyers, engineers, regulators, and other actors during the planning, launch, and operation of a digital product. Class meets on Tuesdays starting on 16 January: 4pm-5.50pm, in VH 202.
Public speaker sessions (4pm in VH 202):
Tuesday, 20 March 2018: Craig Shank, Microsoft Corporation: Cloud Computing and the Non-Territoriality of Data
Tuesday, 27 March 2018: Thomas Streinz, NYU Law: Re-constructing Global Cyber-Law
Tuesday, 3 April 2018: Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law School: The Failure of Internet Freedom
Tuesday, 10 April 2018: Fleur Johns, University of New South Wales: Data, Detection, and the Redistribution of the Sensible in International Law
