Newspaper Articles

This collection of articles was published in the Detroit Legal News from 1995-1997. All were written in the infancy of the modern Internet, before the landscape surrounding Internet legal and business issues began to develop. Access to the Internet largely consisted of dial-up connections on a 14.4 kbs modem or slower. Both the technology and state of the law have evolved considerably since these were first published.

The Internet Provides Something for Everyone

Originally published December 14, 1995

What began as a project intended to keep defense networks intact during power outages experienced in thermonuclear war has blossomed into the current darling of Wall Street, commonly known as the Internet.

The number of users of the network, from the curious to the serious, is growing at an astronomical rate. To give an idea of the scope of the Internet's reach, The Wall Street Journal reported last week - as Netscape's share value skyrocketed - that analysts are projecting 300 million users of the Internet, including e-mail usage, by the year 2000.

The Internet is an outgrowth of the defense-related computer network known as ARPAnet. The basic idea was to have no central center of computer-driven activities and communications during time of war. In a sophisticated shell game, information would move between the closest computer systems in the network, even if parts of the network were disabled. The network, now commonly known as the Internet, has grown into an enormous linkup of business, governmental, educational and personal computer systems around the world.

By accessing the Internet via a local phone call, I can transmit an e-mail message containing text or information in other media across the world in a matter of minutes. The message, which is broken up into small chunks of data, moves from computer to computer along a high speed network with the system choosing its route. Because audio and visual information can be digitized, still pictures, video or audio recordings can be transmitted among users of the system. Media giants such as Time-Warner, Inc. are already undertaking projects to bring news and entertainment programming to the Internet. And while the transmission is still too slow to offer full-length video and audio recordings on demand, efforts to bring the technology to the masses are well under way.

The Internet, as it exists today, offers a variety of computer-accessed services such as electronic mail, file transfer tools and the multifaceted World Wide Web. It can be accessed through online giants, such as America Online and Compuserve, or local on-line service providers. The following is a basic summary of current Internet offerings. The emerging issues associated with the Internet and information technologies will be examined in detail over in my next few columns.

Electronic mail, or e-mail, is by far the most popular use of the Internet today. E-mail is a system for electronically transmitting messages and files containing digitized information. The messages (without attached files) are similar to what you would expect on a fax cover sheet or answering machine. They tend to lack the formality of a written letter or memo. Email messages can be accompanied by print, audio or video "attachments" transmitted electronically among users.

The Internet is the source of a growing number of research and file retrieval tools. Virtually every published or unpublished work ever recorded is capable of digitization and transmission via the Internet. Numerous commercial, governmental and educational "sites" in the Internet allow users full or limited opportunities to view or download text, software and files in other media which reside on their computers. Access, search and retrieval tools include Telnet, Gopher and FTP (file transmission protocol). Software developers are leading the charge to facilitate research use of the Internet, which can be difficult compared to more user-friendly Internet features such as e-mail and the World Wide Web.

The Internet can be used as an interactive discussion tool in real time (near instantaneous) and retrieval format. Bulletin boards, FAQ (frequently asked questions), USENET postings and the like allow users to "post" tips, advice, instructions, reports, jokes, - you name it - on virtually any topic imaginable.

Tools known as list-servers allow users to "subscribe" to articles or information in particular areas of interest. Chat sessions and real time discussion groups, such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and those offered on various commercial services allow users to ask questions of experts in an area and get immediate responses or engage in discussion on topics of interest. By way of example, through either discussion groups or bulletin boards, lawyers can engage in interaction on legal issues among others in the profession. Collaboration and exchange of ideas among scientific researchers has been common on the Internet for years.

The much talked about World Wide Web - the ultimate information and entertainment bazaar - offers a wide-ranging variety of multi-media "home pages" - text , still pictures, sound and moving pictures - electronic publications, shopping centers, and advertisements on virtually every topic imaginable. Among the more popular access tools (known as "web browsers") are Mosaic and Netscape's Navigator. Easy to use search tools include Yahoo and America Online's Webcrawler (each of which can be used and accessed without charge). The different features on the Web are accessed through "point and click" technology using a computer mouse.

A unique feature of the Web is the "hypertext" link, which is typically a highlighted word or graphic image. When the mouse is "pointed" at the link and "clicked," the user is shifted to a data file related to the link. In many cases the linked information is stored on a different computer system. For example, a legal brief can be written using cited cases and scanned pictures or documents as links. By moving the mouse pointer to the link and clicking the mouse, the full text of the cited case or a "picture" of the particular evidence can be viewed. In a sense, the hypertext link could serve as the ultimate footnote.

Although not an Internet service, one common denominator among all of the services is the use of a file or user identifier, generally known as Uniform Resource Locator or URL. Almost every Internet file or resource contains URL address (you know, that http:/thing). It is something of a hybrid between a telephone number and a post office box.

Plug the URL into your Web browser and you are transferred to the particular site.