What is an Internet Lawyer Anyway?

I practice internet law.  As an internet lawyer, I am often asked the question, “What is internet law?”

Sure, there are special laws that apply to the internet space.  The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) is one such example.  For the most part, however, internet law is simply the Court’s attempt to apply traditional legal principles in the internet space.  For instance, will a court enforce a “terms of use” policy against people who visit a website?  If a company owns a domain name with a website that displays in Michigan or California, will that suggest a company’s personal jurisdiction in those forums?  Do companies based in New York and operate websites that display across the United States have to comply with state laws elsewhere? 

One of great parts of my particular internet law practice is that most of these questions remain largely unanswered.  In the vast majority of my cases, we are in fact making new law.