The world of bits -- The network of networks -- Digitization and society -- Regulating the digital environment -- Digital ownership -- Cyber-speech -- Social networking and antisocial conduct -- Defamation -- Intellectual property rights and the information society -- Software -- Copyright in the digital environment -- Databases -- Computer misuse -- Pornography and obscenity in the information society -- Crime and law enforcement in the information society -- Branding, trade marks, and domain names -- Brand identities, search engines, and secondary markets -- Electronic contracts -- Electronic payments -- Data protection -- State surveillance and data retention -- Data retention -- Conclusion.

Information Technology Law: The Law and Society is the ideal companion for a course of study on information technology law and the ways in which it is evolving in response to rapid technological and social change. The fifth edition of this ground-breaking textbook develops its unique examination of the legal processes and their relationship to the modern ‘information society’. Charting the development of the rapid digitization of society and its impact on established legal principles, Murray examines the challenges faced with enthusiasm and clarity. Following a clearly-defined part structure, the text begins by defining the information society and discussing how it may be regulated, before moving on to explore issues of internet governance, privacy and surveillance, intellectual property and rights, and commerce within the digital sphere. The author’s highly original and thought-provoking approach to the subject also makes it essential reading for researchers, IT professionals, and policy-makers. This fifth edition includes expanded coverage of AI authorship and computer generated works, cryptocurrency, cryptoassets and blockchain technology as well as being significantly expanded to cover developments in defamation law, net neutrality, data protection, and smart contracting.