EU Internet Law

WITHOUT DOUBT, A COMPELLING CURRENT STATEMENT ON EU INTERNET LAW

AT A TIME OF MASSIVE CHANGE ON THE CONTINENT

An appreciation by Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE of "The Barrister"

The author, Andrej Savin, comments that the modern world has been subject to information and communication technology penetration at an unprecedented level, and how right he is. He goes on to say that whilst "the early battles over internet regulation have largely subsided", debate around who regulates, and when, remains strong… and we can add impenetrable and largely unaddressed to date by many who are either afraid of the device or lacking in a commitment to take some control over it.

In a rigorous revision for the new second edition of this important and contemporary book, Savin provides a detailed overview of EU internet regulation in all its key areas, as well as giving a critical evaluation of EU policymaking and governance. He has thoroughly updated and revised the text since we reviewed the first edition citing three reasons.

The first is that a comprehensive review is being undertaken in the telecommunications, data protection and copyright fields. The second is that a multitude of cases originating with the CJEU have clarified some important obscurities of the law. And third, that small-scale changes have taken place in most of the other areas of law covered such as electronic commerce, content regulation, digital identity or cybercrime.

Savin's primary mission here, in our view, is to offer us assistance in understanding the contemporary developments in the case law of the CJEU, covering the multitude of issues that have recently been considered by the Court. He also offers refreshing opinion on the pending proposals in telecommunications, copyright and privacy laws as well as the new regulatory directions signalled by the Commission's 2015 strategy document.

The new edition of "EU Internet Law" starts with a full examination of the constitutional context within which the internet is regulated and the various policy documents which have informed this regulation over the years. Savin examines specific key issues in internet regulation, including electronic commerce, jurisdiction, content regulation, intellectual property, consumer protection, and criminal regulation.

For those who do not realise the position, the European Union has performed a crucial role in internet regulation for each Member State and it occupies a unique position of global influence in this fast evolving area of governance although it is still nothing like enough because of the pace of change.

So, the second edition of "EU Internet Law" will, in our view be of great interest to scholars, students and practitioners across the EU and beyond and remains a "succinct, readable and substantiated analysis" as the internet continues to impact us in almost every area of our lives at the moment.

The law is up to date as of 1 October 2016 and the book is available as a hardback book, online and as an ebook.