Mitchell Hamline’s Intellectual Property Institute and Hamline University’s Center for Justice and Law will host a cross-disciplinary symposium and CLE March 28—29 exploring how the internet has changed our world over the last 25 years. The symposium will be held at Hamline University.
Professor Sharon Sandeen, director of Mitchell Hamline’s Intellectual Property Institute and the Robins Kaplan Distinguished Professor in IP Law, says it’s a perfect time to consider the internet’s past and future.
“With increased talk of the need to regulate the internet and social media, it makes sense to reflect upon the history of the internet, its promise, and the problems it has created,” Sandeen says. “This conference will explore these issues and discuss potential solutions.”
On Thursday, March 28, tech leader John Rollwagen, who helped build the computer company Cray Research, will reflect on the history of the internet. Since his retirement from Cray Research in 1992, Rollwagen has served on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards and has been an investor and business adviser in the information technology world. The Thursday night event, held at the Klas Center at Hamline, is free and open to the public. The reception begins at 5:30 pm, followed by Mr. Rollwagen’s talk from 6:45 to 8:00 pm.
On Friday, March 29, the symposium will feature a daylong CLE looking at the past, present, and future of the internet by revisiting the 1994 National Academy Press report “Realizing the Information Future: The Internet and Beyond.” It is being held at the Anderson Center at Hamline.
Internet pioneer Mark McCahill will offer the keynote speech “Popularizing the Internet: Obscurity to Ubiquity.” In the late-1980s, McCahill led a team at the University of Minnesota that developed the Gopher protocol, a system widely regarded as the forerunner to the World Wide Web.
The event will feature panel discussions by accomplished attorneys and scholars from Minnesota and around the country on a wide range of legal and social issues dealing with the internet—from its history to predictions for its future, what role the law played in its development, and an exploration of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the internet.
The cost of the symposium and CLE is $150 for attorneys, $140 for members of the Minnesota State Bar Association Tech Law Section, and $50 for non-attorneys. Students of Mitchell Hamline and Hamline University can attend for free with registration in advance. 6+ hours of CLE credits have been applied for.
Thursday, March 28: Reflections on Internet History with John Rollwagen
| 5:30 pm | Registration and reception |
| 6:45 to 7:45 pm | Presentation by John Rollwagen
Introduction by Dr. Fayneese Miller, President of Hamline University |
Friday, March 29: Presentations and lunchtime keynote address by Mark McCahill
| 8:15 am | Registration opens—light refreshments served | |
| 8:45 to 9:00 | Welcome and introductions by Dr. Fayneese Miller | |
| 9:00 to 10:20 am
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Panel #1: The Predictions: What came true, what didn’t, what was unexpected
Moderator: Professor Sharon K. Sandeen, Mitchell Hamline School of Law: Predictions and concerns from Realizing the Information Future Dr. Alison Anderson Holland, Academic Technologist, University of Minnesota Extension: Decoding a new age of informal learning: Defining public pedagogy for the web Dr. Joanne McNeish, Ryerson University: Cyber Attacks in Banking: Why Many Digital Users Continue to Insist on Paper Bills and Statements |
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| 10:20 to 10:35 am | Break | |
| 10:35 to 11:55 am | Panel #2: Did the law make or break the internet?
Moderator: James A. Baker, Senior IP Counsel, 3M Professor Tyler T. Ochoa, High Tech Law Institute, Santa Clara University School of Law: Liability of Internet Service Providers for Copyright Infringement Cathy R. Gellis, Attorney/ Outside Policy Counsel: CDA Section 230 Professor Shaun G. Jamison, Affiliation: Concord Law School at Purdue University Global: A National Data Privacy Law for the United States |
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| 11:55 to 1:25 pm | Lunchtime keynote by Mark McCahill: “Popularizing the Internet: Obscurity to Ubiquity” | |
| 1:25 to 3:00 pm | Panel #3: The good, the bad, and the ugly of the internet
Moderator: Dr. Jillian Peterson, Hamline University Dr. James Densley, Metropolitan State University: Cyber Violence: What do we know and where do we go from here? Dr. Kate Zittlow Rogness, Hamline University: Civic Engagement in Virtual Communities: #SlutWalk & #MeToo Dr. Paula Mullineaux, Hamline University: The Benefits and Risks of Online Life: Examining the Effects of Social Media on Adolescent Well-Being. Yeahin (Jane) Pyo, Ph.D. student in Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Let’s Troll Journalists: Resisting Journalism and Online Platforms through Trolling, Algorithmic Manipulation, and Social and Liberal Goals |
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| 3:00 to 3:15 pm | Break | |
| 3:15 to 4:35 pm | Panel #4: What does the future of the internet hold?
Moderator: Dr. Joline Zepcevski Ken Morris, Attorney and Founder of KnectIQ: Cybersecurity Dr. Annette Nellen, San Jose State University: Tax Systems and Policy Modernization Via Internet-Related Capabilities Dr. Jon Weissman, University of Minnesota: The Internet of Things (IoT) |
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| 4:35 pm | Conference concludes (Total CLE credits: 6 hours) | |