11th Annual Business Law Forum: Geography and the Digital World

Digital commerce and the Internet are creating an increasingly complex challenge to traditional legal concepts concerning jurisdiction, regulation, taxation, digital privacy, competition and freedom of speech. What may be normal and permissible in one country may be prohibited in another. Yet these issues impact our everyday life like never before, and the Internet knows no border and transnationalism has become the new normal.

This seminar will focus on the issues created by a world of commerce without borders and why traditional legal systems may not have yet adapted to these changing times. We will highlight several major industries which are in full digital transition from a multi-jurisdictional angle. Questions to be addressed include, for example, whether a seller of pharmaceutical products in India must obtain marketing authorization in Europe and the United States simply because someone there could purchase it digitally. Can regulatory obstacles to the offering of financial services be removed or avoided by doing business digitally without being physically present in the jurisdiction? What are the tax and anti-trust consequences of being digitally present in a country or region? Similarly, can speech permissible in the country where it originates be regulated in a country where it is read?

Within this context, we will ask whether today’s laws can adapt to rapidly changing times, or if there needs to be a supernational regime to regulate the Internet and digital commerce.

Save the date and make sure to register! We are looking forward to welcoming you to Amsterdam!