Compared to other legal topics, cyberspace law publications have been issued only for the past twenty years, coinciding with the development of computers, information technology and especially, the Internet.

Cyberspace law (also cyberlaw) is a basic term covering a wide range of topics, including intellectual property, online privacy, freedom of speech, sales and taxation over the Internet, and anything else having to do with computers and the accompanying information networks that have developed as the result of their widespread use.

Because cyberspace law is such a new field, it is sometimes difficult to find cyberspace law materials. Knowing where to look for your cyberspace law publication needs is essential if you are working with cyberspace law.

You should understand that:

1). Cyberspace law crosses over into other legal topics, including constitutional law, patent law and contract law. This means that sometimes information about cyberspace law can be found in articles that are written about another legal topic.

2). While cyberspace law has become a bigger field, it’s still not treated as a separate legal area by most law schools, and so there is less scholarship then on other legal topics.

3). In general, cyberspace law in the United States is covered by federal statutes, although states do get involved. Cyberspace law crosses international boundaries, so there are many cyberspace law publications dealing with laws in other countries.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the best cyberspace law articles

There are several place you can go for collections of cyberspace law articles.

I recommend: One of the cyberspace law article collections is from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) law professor Eugene Volokh, who not only publishes a wide-ranging directory of cyberspace law articles on his UCLA website, but also puts out the Volokh Conspiracy, a blog which discusses cyberspace law issues, among other concerns. Another good listing of cyberspace law articles is on Findlaw, which has a cyberspace law library with publications on computers, the Internet and telecommunications.

Know where to go for cyberspace law books

While books on cyberspace law are not as numerous as those about other legal fields, they are still out there.

I recommend: A good site to find the most up-to-date books about cyberspace law is Barrister Books, an online legal bookstore which makes it easy to search for cyberspace law books. The world's largest legal publisher, West, has been publishing more titles on cyberspace law in recent years, and its online store is a good place to find its latest offerings.

Don't look for specific cyberspace law journals or magazines

Although there are currently no American law reviews or journals that have cyberlaw in the title, and there are no cyberspace law magazines, you can find cyberspace law articles in general interest legal magazines.

I recommend: The ABA Journal and the American Lawyer have published numerous cyberspace law articles. Although there are no American magazines about cyberspace law that cover the topic exhaustively, these and other general interest magazines have written extensively about cyber law issues. There is a journal of Cyber Law put out by ICFAI University Press, which is based in India. This journal does cover international cyberspace law issues.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Cyberspace law is a growing field, and the number of publications devoted to it will also grow over the coming years. Stay up to date on what's coming out as much as possible.
• •  Because cyberspace law is rapidly changing, beware of out of date cyberspace law articles or titles.
• •  Cases are also a great way to learn about the latest developments in cybersapce law. Websites with collections of case law are a good source for the latest developments.