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BLAST
Editor-in-Chief Associate Print Editor Associate Online Editor
Contact Section
Section of Science and Technology Officers Chair Chair-Elect Vice Chair Secretary Budget Officer Section Delegate Immediate Past Section Chair Section Past Chair Liaison |
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IN THIS ISSUE OCTOBER 1999
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Greetings from the Chair
Technology is transforming America's economy. According to a recent Commerce Department report, information technology (IT) industries from 1995-1998 contributed about one-third of the country's real economic growth. As the report noted, Web-based e-commerce and the IT industries that enable e-commerce "are growing and changing at breathtaking speed, fundamentally altering the way Americans produce, consume, communicate, and play." As technology and e-commerce increasingly drive economic growth both domestically and internationally, and companies and governments alike adopt dramatically different business models, the legal landscape also is being transformed. The Section of Science & Technology is in many ways acting as a catalyst in this transformation, and I am looking forward to facilitating this activity as chair of the Section during the 1999-2000 year. There has never been a better time to be a Section member. Communications, computer technology, elec-tronic commerce, and life and physical sciences are continually in the news, as are the legal issues spawned by these rapidly evolving areas. In this period of profound technological and scientific change, our clients face novel legal issues that demand forward-looking responses. Our Section therefore has several key roles to play: providing a forum to explore new ideas; serving as a clearinghouse for information about these issues that is not generally available elsewhere; and building, developing, and shaping the law in these areas. Since 1992, for example, the Information Security Committee of the Section's Electronic Commerce Division has convened an international group of lawyers and technologists for quarterly meetings to examine many of the new legal issues raised by e-commerce. This Committee broke new ground in 1996 when it released its Digital Signature Guidelines, the culmination of a four-year project on legal issues raised by using public key cryptography to create digital signatures and the related role of trusted third parties. The Committee's continuing examination of such issues, including its current project to develop Public Key Infrastructure Assessment Guidelines, draws global participation. The Division's Electronic Commerce Payments Committee is addressing questions concerning elec-tronic negotiable instruments and the escheat of electronically held funds. The Division has launched a project to publish a book and CD-ROM of sample electronic commerce agreements. The Section is also co-sponsoring, with the Section of Business Law, a two-year study on cyberspace jurisdiction to produce a report for the London Annual Meeting in 2000. The Section's Computer Law Division has worked tirelessly on Y2K legal issues, and has recently published Crisis in the Year 2000: Legal Issues and Business Risks. It has also been actively involved in the NCCUSL project to develop the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act. Likewise, the Section tackles cutting-edge legal issues for the scientific community. For example, it has just published Scientific Evidence Review, Monograph No. 4, and will publish a symposium on genetic privacy this fall. Through the National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists, the Section works closely with the American Association for the Advancement of Science on initiatives concerning electronic publishing prac-tices standards; legal protection of scientific research databases; the forensic sciences in the wake of Kumho Tire; and using court-appointed experts. The Section's CLE programs are consistently ranked among the best available. Of the 400 CLE programs presented at the recent ABA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, four of the SciTech programs were in the top 10 most attended programs. We welcome your participation in these and other Section initiatives. What would you like to see the Section (or one of its committees) do this year? How can we help you address the issues you face in your practice? Please let me have your thoughts and suggestions by calling me at 312-861-8670, or sending me e-mail at SMEDINGHOFF@BAKERNET.COM. We offer tremendous opportunities for individuals willing to put in the time and effort to make something happen. I look forward to hearing from you and to working with you this coming year. |
