Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
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We work in the Commercial Department of Collyer-Bristow, a central London firm of solicitors with some 60 fee earners. We are increasingly involved in advising on IT and e-commerce issues. In this capacity we have been investigating how to keep up with the latest developments.
The purpose of this article is to provide a quick guide for practitioners on the various journals and newsletters which are now available from legal publishers some of which are also available on-line or by e-mail. Most are subscription based, but there are one or two e-mail based newsletters which are free. Free samples of all these journals can often be obtained. The opinions given here are our own and others may not agree. Where we have given prices, these exclude VAT and are believed to be correct, but there are always changes and special offers being made!
We will start with the best known publications which are dedicated entirely to e-commerce, and will also mention other journals and newsletters which have a high e-commerce content.
(a) Electronic Business Law is published by The Eclipse Group (part of Butterworths Tolley) and comes out in twelve monthly instalments of some 16 pages each costing £269 per annum. Each journal contains a number of articles of some depth such as the Advertising Standards Authority's approach to web advertising and the liability of ISPs for copyright infringement. There are articles which would be useful to practitioners on the drafting of agreements, including recently website design and build agreements and interactive TV agreements, sometimes including checklists of important terms. There are also other news items and some reviews of important cases, each with a useful commentary. The magazine is quite well presented, with contributions from practising lawyers, and focuses on developments in the UK particularly, but also the USA and the EU, and ought to be of interest to all lawyers practising in the area.
(b) Electronic Business Law Reports is a quarterly publication costing £215 per annum (£175 if you also subscribe to EBL, above). Each issue covers about six cases in full, so they are the only full Reports dedicated to e-commerce. The Reports also include a summary and a useful commentary, as well as the judgment. They have only recently started and include one or two reports of well known but slightly older cases as well as up to the minute cases, mostly UK, but from other jurisdictions as well. The Reports are good at drawing together cases from around the world and from different tribunals, and would perhaps interest those with a more academic interest in the subject.
(c) Electronic Business Law Direct cost £625 for a one user licence (Premium level) and £295 for the Essentials level (£399 or £200 if you subscribe to EBL, with a further discount to the Premium service if you subscribe to EBL Reports). In the Essentials level you get access to the EBL journal archive and two Tolleys publications ("Business, the Internet and the Law" and "E-Contracts" which both contain precedents). There is an e-mail alerting newsletter. The Premium Level also includes access to the EBL Reports and the text of UK legislation and there is also some analysis of the relevant legislation of other countries including the USA. (See http://www.ebldirect.com).
(d) Journal of Electronic Commerce Law & Practice is issued every two months at an annual subscription of £295, and is available both on-line and in hard copy of 24 pages. It has quite in depth articles (e.g. recently on the Electronic Communications Act 2000 and unsolicited e-mails) which are contributed by practitioners and academics. It also contains a digest of news and case summaries. The focus of this journal is perhaps more academic (e.g. the concept of negotiability and the electronic bill of lading).
(a) E-Commerce Law & Policy is a monthly newsletter edited by Lindsey Greig, with an annual subscription of £275. Each edition has 16 pages of news stories and concise features (e.g. issues such as the liability of ISPs for content, unsolicited e-mails and the Distance Selling Regulations). There are occasional more practical articles, such as a recent one on creating an e-mail policy. The newsletter is based on contributions from practitioners and is is easy to read. It has less detailed content than the EBL journal, but would perhaps interest busy practitioners.
(b) E-Commerce Law Reports. There are six issues per year at an annual subscription of £225 (£175 if you also subscribe to ECLP, above). These Reports have just been launched and the first two issues have 24 pages. Typically they contain one page summaries of important cases from the UK and tribunals around the world, e.g. US and WIPO. The first editions cover very recent cases and also one or two of the more important fairly recent cases which are provided by practitioners and broken down into useful headings. It brings together cases from different jurisdictions, and the style is both accessible and practical.
(c) Cecile Park also provides on-line access to its journals at http://www.e-comlaw.com under the name "e-commercelawdirect". The first annual subscription for each journal appears to include free access to the on-line version. One can just subscribe to the on-line service for £500 per annum (one user). There is also a free e-mail alerting service available from the site.
(a) International Journal of Electronic Commerce Law & Practice is issued quarterly at an annual subscription of £200. There is a worldwide contributor base and each issue contains a number of articles, e.g. new top level domains or domain name disputes before the English Courts.
The journal states that it aims to keep abreast of practical solutions rather than theory. While the articles may be good, there does not appear to be broad coverage at present for those interested in the subject generally. This journal is now being made available by e-mail as well.
(b) Intellectual Property & Information Technology Law Journal provides 6 issues per annum of 20 pages each for a subscription of £135. Each issue has one feature article only, e.g. on metatags or the Designs Directive, and there are short summaries of some of the more important UK cases, including e-commerce cases as well as brief news items. We understand that this journal will be available via e-mail later in the year. Overall it has less e-commerce content than the Butterworths and Cecile Park journals.
Computer & Telecommunications Law Review costs £360 per annum for eight issues. It is described as the international journal of e-commerce, technology and communications law, and there are sometimes lengthy articles on the law in various countries, e.g. recently South Africa and New Zealand. There is a useful digest of developments from around the world, including cases and legislation, contributed by a wide base of correspondents. The focus is very much on international business, and will appeal to those with a more academic interest in the area.
Computer Law and Security Report comes out six times per annum for a subscription of Euros 735, about £450. Like CTLR from Sweet & Maxwell, it contains lengthy articles on IT issues as viewed from different countries, e.g. the Canadian domain name system or IT contracts with Russian parties. There is also a digest of EU developments and developments from around the world. Like CTLR it will appeal to lawyers involved in international business with an academic interest.
Members of SCL receive six editions of Computers & Law every year as part of the £80 subscription and it is also available on-line to members. Each magazine comes to some 40 pages and is well presented. There are articles, conference reports and news items, with more of a focus on the UK, although not much in the way of case reports. The articles are contributed by practitioners and those involved in the IT industry. They cover not only articles on the state of law (recently e.g. distance selling and new domain names), including sometimes precedent clauses, but also articles on the use of IT systems within law firms (e.g. recently knowledge management systems and on-line learning). This makes the magazine different from others reviewed above, and particularly good value for those interested in the practical application of IT.
We subscribe to the Lawtel service for on-line access to cases, legislation and details of articles. This includes a daily e-mail service relating to developments in any areas you choose, e.g. technology and telecommunications. This would bring you summaries of UK e-commerce cases and notice of e-commerce articles. For a further fee, Lawtel will also e-mail you its weekly Technology, Media and Telecommunications bulletin, which brings together details of all relevant UK and EU legislation and developments, plus details of articles and news stories. This is a useful resource and a quick way of finding out about developments.
(a) Legal Technology Insider edited by Charles Christian, costs £115 per annum for twenty issues, available by mail, e-mail or the web (http://www.legalnewsmedia.com). It covers developments in legal technology rather than the law, and contains information about new products from suppliers to the law firm market and IT services which are being offered by law firms themselves.
(b) New Media Lawyer is a free weekly electronic newsletter. This contains brief details of the type of development covered by LTi as well as summaries of legal developments in new media topics from the UK and around the world. You can subscribe at the above address.
There are no doubt others which we have not found. There are also a growing number of e-mail or print based newsletters including content on e-commerce topics available from law firms, including Fox Williams, Masons, Kaltons, Tarlo Lyons, Rayner de Wolfe and ourselves. These are of course designed primarily for commercial clients rather than lawyers.
You need to choose the type of publication that would suit you, taking into account if you want practical or academic articles, if you are interested more in the UK than international law, if you need actual case reports rather than summaries, and if you are interested in the technology as well as the law. Finally, you have to bear in mind the cost! Generally speaking, the more you pay, the better the service and very little comes cheaply! Perhaps there are some exceptions such as the Computers & Law magazine from SCL and the free ezine from Legal News Media.
Paul Sillis is a partner at Collyer-Bristow and Robert Ungar is an assistant at the firm. They work in the commercial department and both have wide experience of business law, IT law, internet start-ups and e-commerce matters. Email paul.sillis@collyer-bristow.co.uk.
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