Traditional British Law Overtaken by Evolution of Globalizing Realities
British libel law, according to The Economist, means in practice that “anyone anywhere in the world who can prove that someone in England has bought, read, or downloaded potentially defamatory material about them can start a court case.” That’s unique – and that jurisdictional sweep is not the end of it.
Idea Google being Demonized in France as “Great Satan” of Web Hegemony
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made it official that he intends to tax foreign internet companies on their online sales in France, an initiative colloquially referred to as “The Google Tax.” The idea -- the latest in a series of legal and political moves against Google's activities in France -- proposes to tax advertising revenues from online giants such as Google to support the creative industries in France hit by the digital revolution. But critics say it is unworkable, perhaps even counter-productive and could at best simply prop up failing business models.
The Honorable Margot Wallström, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communications Strategy discussed the challenges of communicating Europe to 500 million citizens in 27 member states, and the methods in which the European Union is utilizing to bridge the information gap between Brussels and the rest of Europe. Dr. Beth Noveck, Deputy Technology Officer for Open Government in the Executive Office of the President presented the American perspective and how methods of new media impacted the U.S. 2008 Presidential election. Ian Koski, Senior Manager at Blue State Media and Aaron Smith, Research Specialist with the Pew Internet & American Life Project, also offered their views.
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