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Schedule Registration Housing |
| Friday, January 7, 2000 8:30-10:15 a.m. |
Maryland Suite C Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Lobby Level |
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Section on International Law |
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| John Marshall Rogers, University of Kentucky, Chair |
| Impact of the Internet on Public International Law |
| (Program to be published in Kentucky Law Journal) |
| Moderator: | |
| John Marshall Rogers, University of Kentucky | |
| Speakers: | |
| Anthony D'Amato, Northwestern University
Joseph W. Dellapenna, Villanova University Henry H. Perritt, Jr., Chicago-Kent College of Law Ruth Wedgwood, Yale Law School |
| The internet is profoundly changing not only the speed, but also the nature of international relations among individuals, companies, and governments. This panel will examine how the information revolution may change the nature of the public international legal system. Will there be virtual embassies, laws of cyberwar, or a breakdown of the system of territorial allocation of government jurisdiction? Or will the fundamentals of the international legal system endure, just as these fundamentals have survived such technological developments as radio, television, and the nuclear bomb? |
| Professor Dellapenna notes that international law has always exhibited considerable doctrinal sophistication combined with institutional underdevelopment. This has made international law in many respects more similar to the law of preliterate societies than to the law of centralized nation states. Just as the emergence of printing and mass literacy made possible the creation of highly centralized and relatively stable legal systems in nation states, the computerization of law promises another transition in the form of law. Professor Dellapenna will explore the implications of this transition for international law. |
| Dean Perritt will look at the way in which the internet accelerates the public international law process for resolving private international law issues. He contends that the internet facilitates treaty negotiation and implementation, and that its global character puts stress on traditional state-based precepts of private international law, thereby increasing the pressure for public international law regimes. |
| Professor D'Amato will examine the fundamental relation between information exchange and the development of international law. He predicts that no matter what steps governments may take to control, regulate, or suppress the internet, it will end up free and international law will prohibit its regulation. |
| Professor Wedgwood will take a look at other ways in which the information revolution will affect the international legal system in the 21st century. |
| The moderator will then lead a discussion among the panelists and incorporate questions from the audience. |
| Business Meeting at Program Conclusion |