CfP: Internet history conference


Call for proposals to present and publish: "Revisiting 'Realizing the Information Future: The Internet and Beyond,' the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". A cross-disciplinary symposium organized by Mitchell Hamline School of Law and Hamline University, Friday, March 29, 2019, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota


We invite you to submit an abstract of a paper topic to present at a cross-disciplinary symposium organized by the Intellectual Property Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the Center for Justice and Law at Hamline University to be held on Friday, March 29, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The title of the symposium is: Revisiting “Realizing the Information Future: The Internet and Beyond,” the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. It is intended to explore the issues raised in the report “Realizing the Information Future: The Internet and Beyond,” published by National Academy Press in 1994, and how the commercial use of the internet has changed our world since 1994.
The 2018/2019 academic year coincides with several important events in the history of the internet, including: the 50th Anniversary of the development of ARPANET; the 45th Anniversary of the first use of the term “internet”; the 30th Anniversary of legislation introduced by Senator Al Gore to privatize the internet; and the 25th anniversary of the publication of “Realizing the Information Future: The Internet and Beyond.” It also happens at a time when numerous concerns are being raised about the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of the internet, including privacy concerns and recent revelations about Russia’s use of the internet and related social media platforms to interfere with the 2016 elections.

We invite abstracts of papers on any internet-related topics, including but not limited to the following: the history or design of the internet; intermediary liability; the security of voting machines; free speech issues on the internet; hate speech on the internet; commerce on the internet; regulation of the internet; channels; website design; net art; online education; children’s online privacy; copyright infringement on the internet; cyberhacking; cyber-crimes; and social media.

Please submit your abstract to the Center for Justice and Law at Hamline University (cjl@hamline.edu) on before October 19, 2018. You will be notified by November 19, 2018 whether your abstract has been accepted. All paper abstracts will be considered for publication in a special issue of Cybaris: an IP Law Review, a publication of the IP Institute of Mitchell Hamline School of Law. The full paper deadline is March 22, 2019. We also invite abstracts from those who have recent internet-related works that they intend to publish elsewhere. Up to three $500 scholarships will be awarded to select presenters to defray travel costs to/from St. Paul.

Preliminarily, we intend to organize the symposium consistent with its title and have one panel each to explore the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of the internet. We also are planning an introductory “History of the Internet” presentation and a concluding “The Future of the Internet” presentation. A keynote luncheon speaker is also being arranged.