By Domenic A. Crolla, [email protected]
Published 4/1/00
The Internet is a powerful place to do business around the world without leaving your doorstep. Herein lies the problem: When conducting business across national or provincial boundaries, which jurisdiction’s laws apply to your online transactions, or even merely to you or your employee’s online actions? In what jurisdiction would you enforce your rights stemming from online activity? Understanding these issues is central to successfully implementing a key (legal) component of an e-commerce strategy.
Jurisdiction on the Internet
In the online world, the issue of jurisdiction is complex and relatively new. Although the law tends to have difficulty keeping pace with technological change, there are some principles with which any Canadian business with a website should try to become familiar. The leading American case on Internet jurisdiction, decided three years ago, is Zippo Manufacturing Company v. Zippo Dot Com, Inc. ("Z
