"The boundaries of Internet Law determined…at least for now!"

THE INTERNET AND IP (SECOND EDITION)

BY

JONATHAN CORNTHWAITE

Monitor Press, Suffolk House, Church Field Road, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2YA. Telephone: 01787 467206

Price: £99

ISBN: 1 871241 87 1

By Phillip Taylor

Jonathan Cornthwaite has produced some important additions to what he thought would only be minor changes in the second edition of this important work. Speaking to the author recently, he explained the tremendous advances which have taken place since the middle of 1998 with the law relating to IP and the Internet.

The four action plan sequences remain as most important pieces of advice, especially ‘think twice before placing any valuable copyright material on the Net’. Future events may well prove how wise such advice can be.

For the new edition, Cornthwaite has included revised his original appendix covering the sources of further information on the Internet which was merely a list of useful websites. Now we have four individual appendices which cover:

• The UK Patent Office’s Practice Note entitled ‘Claims to programs for computers’ dated 19 April 1999

• Amended Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the Information Society

• Electronic Communications Bill

• An updated list of websites

The Preface to the second edition highlights the cross-border effect in two ways:

• by examining other jurisdictions; and

• coverage of related issues such as e-signatures which now have binding consequences together with pieces on domain names and encryption

To sum up Cornthwaite’s report, he rightly describes it ‘to be a practical guide rather than a theoretical treatise’. He has succeeded, and I would expect this ‘report’, as he styles it, to emerge as a full-blown textbook for the next edition with the increasing number of reported cases.

Philllip Taylor is the Barrister Desk Editor.