Syllabus

• When:  May 28 – August 3.  This is a 3-credit, semester-length course that is scheduled at an accelerated pace of 10 weeks with a two week break (June 24 – July 7th).
• Where:  Online
• Instructor:  Marvin Cable, Esquire
• CPE enrollment page

Summary: This course is meant for those looking for practical legal knowledge for use in Internet related endeavors. This course provides basic legal knowledge for Internet related legal issues with a focus on practical information for use by computer professionals.

The syllabus will cover the following topics (changes may occur before the course begins):

• Basics of the internet:
  • History of the internet;
  • Physical structure of the internet;
  • Governance of the internet
• Basics of the law:
  • Laws, statutes, regulations, common law, stare decisis, treaties, and the interactions between them;
  • Issues of local, state, federal, and international laws; o Jurisdiction related issues.
• Contracts:
  • Basics of contract law;
  • Common examples of contracts, e.g., employment agreements, work for hire.
• Substantive laws:
  • The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA);
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA);
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);
  • Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA);
  • Laws dealing with protection of private information, e.g., social security numbers, credit cards;
  • We will study other sets of laws, too, depending on class interest.
• Intellectual property law:
  • Copyright;
  • Trademark and unfair business;
  • Patent.
• Ethics:
  • Basic ethical dilemmas;
  • Whitehat versus blackhat;
  • Whistle blowing.
• Dealing with third parties:
  • Subpoenas;
  • National Security Letters
  • Requirements for safeguarding data for, and from, third parties;
  • Litigation basics.
• Dealing with employees and internal business relations
  • Employee privacy;
  • Intellectual property issues with employees and organizations.
• Policy issues:
  • Privacy;
  • Freedom of speech;
  • Open internet / Net neutrality.