U. Illinois Law Review Publishes Internet Jurisdiction Article

The University of Illinois Law Review has just published an Article by Prof. A. Benjamin Spencer entitled Jurisdiction and the Internet--Returning to Traditional Principles to Analyze Network-Mediated Contacts, 2006 U. Ill. L. Rev. 71 (2006). Here's the abstract from the piece:

Courts have been evaluating the issue of personal jurisdiction based on Internet or "network-mediated" contacts for some time. The U.S. Supreme Court has remained silent on this issue, permitting the federal appeals courts to develop standards for determining when personal jurisdiction based on network-mediated contacts is appropriate. Unfortunately, the circuit approaches--which emphasize a Web site's "interactivity" and "target audience"--are flawed because they are premised on an outdated view of Internet activity as uncontrollably ubiquitous. This view has led courts to depart from traditional jurisdictional analysis and impose elevated and misguided jurisdictional standards. This article argues that courts should reinstitute traditional principles to analyze jurisdiction based on network-mediated contacts in light of current technology that enables Internet actors to restrict the geographical reach of their virtual conduct. Such a return will be fairer for plaintiffs while recognizing the legitimate due process rights of defendants.