Cyber Laws (Including Information Technology Act, 2000)

Syllabus

9th semester

Academic Session (2020-2021)

OBJECTIVE OF THE SYLLABUS:

With its rapid growth and momentous influence on our day to day activities the
Information Technology become an indispensable facet of human civilisation. To keep
pace with this swift changes one need to have an acquaintance of the functioning of this
information technology ecosystem. This syllabus endeavours to give an insightful
understanding of fundamental nuances of this information technology ecosystem and its
legal concerns. It covers the whole Information Technology Act and its amendments
along with applicable rules. Apart from the statutory provisions related to cyberspace,
this syllabus also gives due emphasis onthe social,intellectual property issues and legal
analysis of new emerging technologies of Cyberspace. The capital idea of this syllabus is
to professionally equip students with a detailed understanding of national and
international regulatory framework and mechanics of cyber law.
FACULTY – Mr. Kumar Gaurav
NUMBER OF LECTURES - (65 Lectures Approx.)
UNIT 1 (15 Lectures)
(1) INTRODUCTION

Origin and meaning of Cyberspace;

Cyberspace vs. Physical space;
Legal Issues in Cyberspace;
Need of Regulation for Cyberspace;
Different Models of Cyberspace Regulation.

SUGGESTED READINGS:
 Cyberspace and International Relations Toward an Integrated System NazliChoucri,
David Clark , Available at http://studylib.net/doc/13670802/cyberspace-and-international-
relations--toward-an-integra...
 From Cyberspace to Cyber power: Defining the Problem

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 Daniel T. Kuehl,Cyber power and National Security, Franklin D. Kramer, Stuart H. Starr
Larry K. Wentz
 The Dependence of Cyberspace - Amy Lynne Bomse
Available athttp://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1118&context=dlj
 What Larry Doesn't Get: Code, Law, and Liberty in Cyberspace Author(s): David G.
Post,Stanford Law Review, Vol. 52, No. 5, Symposium: Cyberspace and Privacy: A
New Legal Paradigm? (May, 2000), pp. 1439-1459 ,Available at
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1229518?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents
 The Zones of Cyberspace, Author(s): Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law Review, Vol. 48,
No. 5 (May, 1996), pp. 1403-1411 ,Available at
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1229391?seq=1&cid=pdfreference#fndtnreferences_tab_co
ntents
 A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry Barlow , Available at
https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence
 Evolving Strategies for the Enforcement of Cyber laws by Karnika Seth , Available at
http://www.karnikaseth.com/evolving-strategies-for-the-enforcement-of-cyberlaws.html
 Usage and Challenges of Cyberspace https://www.scribd.com/document/347504617/1

(2) CYBER JURISDICTION

 Concept of Jurisdiction,
 Jurisdiction in Cyberspace,
 Issues and concerns of Cyberspace Jurisdiction in India,
 International position of Cyberspace Jurisdiction,
 Judicial interpretation of Cyberspace Jurisdiction.

Suggested readings:
 Jurisdiction in Cyberspace: A Theory of International Spaces, Darrel C. Menthe, 4 Mich.
Telecomm. Tech. L. Rev. 69 (1998) Available at:http://www.mttlr.org/volfour/menthe.pdf

 General Jurisdiction and Internet Contacts: What Role, if any, Should the Zippo Sliding Scale
Test Play in the Analysis? Eric C. Hawkins, 74 Fordham L. Rev. 2371 (2006).
Available at:http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/flr/vol74/iss4/29

 Issue Of Jurisdiction in Cyberspace and Applicable Laws Available at: http://psalegal.com/wp-

content/uploads/2017/01/ENewslineAugust2008.pdf

 Aiming at the Wrong Target: The "Audience Targeting" Test for Personal Jurisdiction in
Internet Defamation Cases, Sarah H. Ludington ,73 Ohio St. L. J. 541 (2012), available at
http://scholarship.law.campbell.edu/fac_sw/65/.

 International Jurisdiction In Cyberspace, Amit M. Sachdeva [2007] C.T.L.R Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228759003_International_Jurisdiction_in_Cyberspace_
A_Comparative_Perspective

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 Internet Jurisdiction Today, Adria Allen, 22 Nw. J. Int'l L. & Bus. 69 (2001-2002) Available at:
http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njilb/vol22/iss1/9/

 Michael A. Geist, Is There a There - Toward Greater Certainty for Internet Jurisdiction, 16
Berkeley Tech. L.J. 1345 (2001).Available at:http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/btlj/vol16/iss3/6

 Jurisdictional Issues in Cyberspace , Justice S. Muralidhar, The Indian Journal of Law And
Technology, Volume 6, 2010 Available at:http://ijlt.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/1.pdf

UNIT 2 (30 Lectures)

(3) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT

 A brief overview of Information Technology Act, 2000

 IT Act 2000 vs. IT Amendment Act 2008
 Relevant provisions from Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act, Bankers
Book Evidence Act, Reserve Bank of India Act, etc.

(4) CONCEPT OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE AND DIGITAL SIGNATURE

 Relevance of Signature
 Handwritten signature vs Digital Signature
 Technological Advancement and development of signature
 Digital Signature:IT Act, 2000
 Cryptography, Public Key and Private Key, Public Key Infrastructure
 Electronic Signature
 Electronic Signature vs. Digital Signature
 UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signature

(5) E – COMMERCE

 Meaning and Origin of E-commerce

 Tools of E-Commerce
 Models of e-commerce
 UNCITRAL Model Law on E-commerce
 E-Commerce under IT Act,2000
 Issues and challenges of E-Commerce

(6) E – GOVERNANCE

 Meaning and concept of E-governance

 Models of E-governance
 Legal Status of E – governance in UNCITRAL Model and IT Act, 2000

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(7) E-CONTRACT
 Concept of E-Contracts
 Types of E-contract - Click wrap, Shrink-wrap, Browse wrap and its Legal
Validity
 Essentials of E-Contracts
 Laws on E-Contracts: IT Act & other laws
(8) CYBER CRIMES
 Cyber Crimes - Definitions - Nature
 Conventional Crimes vs Cyber Crimes
 Types of Cyber Crimes
 Cyber offences covered under the Information Technology Act, 2000
 Cyber offences and other laws (IPC, POCSO etc.)
 Issues relating to investigation of cybercrimes in India
 Cyber Contravention
 Cybercrime vs Cyber Contravention
 Cyber Contraventions -Civil Liabilities and Adjudication
(9) LAW RELATING TO LIABILITIES OF INTERMEDIARIES
 Meaning and concept of intermediary
 International legal framework on intermediary
 Liability of intermarry under the IT Act
 Recent developments

UNIT 3 (08 Lectures)

(10) DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY CONCERNS IN CYBERSPACE

 Need to protect data in cyberspace

 Types of data
 Legal framework of data protection
 Data protection bill -an overview
 GDPR
 Concept of privacy
 Privacy concerns of cyberspace

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  Constitutional framework of privacy
 Judicial interpretation of privacy in India

(11) APPRECIATION OF ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE

 Concept of Electronic Records and Electronic Evidence

 Recognition of electronic records under the UNCITRAL Model Law & IT
Act
 Types of Electronic Evidence
 Sources of electronic evidence
 Technical Issues in collection of electronic Evidence
 Chain of custody of electronic evidence
 Admissibility of electronic evidence under Indian laws
UNIT 4 (08 Lectures)
(12) IP PROTECTION ISSUES IN CYBERSPACE

(A.) COPYRIGHT ISSUES IN CYBERSPACE

 Fundamental notions of copyright law

 Copyright issues in cyberspace
 Copyright infringement in digital environment-Software piracy, Linking,
Framing, Caching, Meta Tagging,
 Legal protection of copyright in International Framework-WCT, WPPT,
TRIPS.
 Indian legal protection of copyright in cyberspace & concept of DRM

(B.) TRADEMARK ISSUES IN CYBERSPACE

 Meaning, Purpose and Kinds of Domain Name;
 Domain Name Vs Trademark
 Domain Name Registration, ICANN,
 Domain Name dispute and Related Laws
 Different Form of Domain in Cyberspace,
 Judicial Approach.

(C.) PATENT ISSUES IN CYBERSPACE

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 UNIT 5 (04Lectures)
(13) NEW EMERGING ISSUES OF CYBERSPACE
 Cloud Computing,
 Big Data
 Internet of Things
 Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
 Blockchain

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

 Chris Reed, Internet Law-Text and Materials, Universal Law Publishing Co.,
New Delhi, 2nd Edition, 2005
 Ian J Lloyd, Information Technology Law, Oxford University Press, 7th
Edition, 2014
 Nandan Kamath, Law Relating to Computers Internet & E Commerce
Universal Law Publisher, 5th Edition, (2012)
 Aparna Viswanathan, Cyber Law Indian and International Perspectives, Lexis
Nexis, 2012
 Karnika Seth, Computers, Internet and New Technology Laws-A
comprehensive reference work with special focus on developments in India.
Lexis Nexis, Updated Edition 2016
 Anirudh Rastogi, Cyber Law, Lexis Nexis, 2014
 Pavan Duggal Cyber Law 3.0, Universal Law Publishing Company Private
Limited, 2014 Edition.
 Talat Fatima, Cybercrimes, Eastern Book Company, Lucknow, Second
Edition, 2016.
 Apar Gupta, Commentary on Information Technology Act, 3 rd Edition, Lexis
Nexis, 2016.
 N S Nappinai, Technology Laws Decoded, Lexis Nexis, 2017
 Vakul Sharma, Information Technology Law and Practice, Universal Law
Publishing,2017
 Rodney D Ryder & Nikhil Naren, Internet Law-Regulating Cyberspace and
emerging Technologies, Bloomsbury ,2020

CASE LAWS:

1. Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. Vs. Rani Construction (P) Ltd.

2. Washington vs. International Shoe Company, 326 US 310 (1945)
3. Pennoyer vs. Neff, 1995 US 714 (1877)
4. Word Wide Volkswagen Corporation vs. Woodson, 444 US 286 (1980)

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5. Calder Vs. Jones, 465 US 783 (1984)
6. Burger King Corp. Vs. Rudzewicz, 417 US 462 (1985) ,472.
7. Asahi Meatal Industry Company Limited Vs. Superior Court of California,
480 US 102 (1987)
8. Playboy Enterprise, Inc., vs. Chukelberry publishing, Inc., 930 F Supp 1032
(S.D.NY.1996)
9. Panavision International, LP Vs. Toeppen, 945 F Supp 1296 (CD Cal 1996)
10. Zippo Manufacturer vs Zippo. Com. 952 F Supp. 1119 (DCWD Pa 1997)
11. Cyber Sell Inc. Vs. Cyber Sell Inc. 130 F 3d 414 (9th Cir 1997)
12. Yahoo! Inc. and Yahoo France Vs. UEJF & LICRA. 145 F. Supp 2d 1168
,1179 (N.D. Cal 2001)
13. Young Vs. New Haven Advocate, 315 F, 3d. 256 (4th Cir. 2002)
14. Casio India Company Limited Vs. Ashita Tele Systems Private limited (2003)
27 PTC 265 (Del).
15. India TV, Independent News Service Pvt. Ltd. Vs. India Broadcasting Live,
LLC, (2007) 145 DLT 521
16. Banyan Tree Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd. Vs. Murali Krishnan Reddy 2008 (38) PTC
288(Del)
17. Renaissance Hotel Holdings Inc. Vs. B. Vihaya Sai and anr. 2009
18. Nirmaljit Singh Narula Vs. Indijobs at Hubpages.com ,2012
19. Kharak Singh vs. State of UP (1964) 1 SCR 332
20. M.P. Sharma & Others Vs. Satish Chandra, 1954 SCR 1077
21. Govind vs. State of M.P., (1975) 2 SCC 148
22. R. Rajagopala And Anr. Vs. State of Tamil Nadu (1994) 6 SCC 632
23. PUCL Vs. Union of India, (1997) 1 SCC 301
24. K. S. Puttaswamy Vs Union of India, (2017) 10 SCC 1
25. Avnish Bajaj vs State of NCT Delhi (2005) 3 Comp LJ 364 Del.
26. Shreya Singhal Vs. Union of India, (2015) 5 SCC 1
27. ProCD Vs, Zeidenberg ,1996
28. Hot Mail Corp. Vs. Van $ Money Pie Inc. 2002
29. Ticketmaster Corp, vs. Tickets.com, Inc. 2003
30. State Vs. Mohd. Afzal 2003 VII AD (Delhi) 1
31. State (NCT of Delhi) vs Navjot Sandhu (2005) 11 SCC 600
32. P.V. Anvar Vs. P.K. Basheer (2014) 10 SCC 473

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 33. Shafi Mohammad Vs. State of Himachal Pradesh ,2018
34. Arjun PanditraoKhotkar Vs. Kailash KushanraoGorantyal And Others, 2020
CONVENTIONS,STATUTES, RULES etc.:
1. UNCITRAL Model law on E-commerce 1996
2. UNCITRAL Model law on E-Signature 2001
3. The Information Technology Act, 2000 and Related Rules
4. The Personal Data Protection Bill 2019
5. GDPR

Mr. Kumar Gaurav

Assistant Professor of Law

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