Legal aspects of computing

Legal aspects of computing are related to the overlapping areas of law and computing.

The first one, historically, was information technology law (or IT law). ("IT law" should not be confused with the IT aspects of law itself, although there are overlapping issues.) IT law consists of the law (statutes, regulations, and caselaw) which governs the digital dissemination of both (digitalized) information and software itself (see history of free and open-source software), and legal aspects of information technology more broadly. IT law covers mainly the digital information (including information security and electronic commerce) aspects and it has been described as "paper laws" for a "paperless environment".

Cyberlaw or Internet law is a term that encapsulates the legal issues related to use of the Internet. It is less a distinct field of law than intellectual property or contract law, as it is a domain covering many areas of law and regulation. Some leading topics include internet access and usage, privacy, freedom of expression, and jurisdiction.

"Computer law" is a third term which tends to relate to issues including both Internet law and the patent and copyright aspects of computer technology and software.

IT law does not constitute a separate area of law rather it encompasses aspects of contract, intellectual property, privacy and data protection laws. intellectual property is an important component of IT law, including copyright, rules on fair use, and special rules on copy protection for digital media, and circumvention of such schemes. The area of software patents is controversial, and still evolving in Europe and elsewhere.

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