IP Justice International Cyberlaw Clinic

Cyberlaw Clinic Policy Issues

The IP Justice International Cyberlaw Clinic works to promote the global public interest in international intellectual property rights and Internet law and policy. Specifically, the law students in the Cyberlaw Clinic that are working on ICANN policy matters represent the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) at ICANN in Internet policy discussions.  Other students participate in discussions at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and other international IPR policymaking fora.

The International Cyberlaw Clinic aims to protect the traditional civil liberties of Internet users, such as freedom of expression, privacy rights, and legal due process.  The clinic promotes policies that seek a fair balance regarding intellectual property rights in an information society.  The Cyberlaw Clinic further promotes ICT policies that protect the interests of non-commercial users of the Internet and that promote alternative viewpoints online. Policies that foster greater participation in democratic discourse and access to knowledge, particularly in developing countries, are also pursued. Consumers benefit from ICT and IPR policies that foster technological innovation and promote market competition.

Specific ICANN policy issues that the Cyberlaw Clinic currently works on include:

• Protection of freedom of expression in Internet domain name policy (or new gTLDs);

• Respect for privacy rights of Internet users over personal data in ICANN’s "Whois" database;

• Policies for the introduction of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs);

• Recommendations for improving ICANN to promote the global public interest.

See who participates in the IP Justice International Cyberlaw Clinic.