Internet of Things: Legal Perspectives

The Internet of Things as an emerging global Internet-based information archit- ture facilitating the exchange of goods and services is gradually developing. While the technology of the Internet of Things is still being discussed and created, the legal framework should be established before the Internet of Things is fully operable, in order to allow for an efective introduction of the new information architecture. If a self-regulatory approach is to be adopted to provide a legal framework for the Internet of Things, and this seems preferable, rulemakers can draw on experiences from the current regime of Internet governance. In the near future, mainly businesses will operate in the Internet of Things. Civil society is only expected to make use of the Internet of Things, as it now does of the Internet, at a later stage (e.g. for healthcare). The Internet of Things will have an impact in various areas. The regulatory fra- work must provide for provisions ensuring the security of the structure as well as the privacy of its users. Furthermore, legal barriers that may stand in the way of the coming into operation of the Internet of Things will have to be considered. However, the Internet of Things will also have positive efects in diferent felds, such as the inclusion of developing countries in global trade, the use of search engines to the beneft of civil society, combating product counterfeiting, tackling environmental concerns, improving health conditions, securing food supply and monitoring compliance with labor standards.

Rolf H. Weber studied at the University of Zurich and at Harvard Law School.

Since 1995 he has been ordinary professor at the University of Zurich and a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong, teaching and publishing in civil, commercial and European law specializing in Internet, media and competition law, international finance and trade regulation. He is director of the European Law Institute and the Center for Information and Communication Law at the University of Zurich; in addition he is member of the directory of the Postgraduate Studies in Internationl Business Law and the MBA-Program at the University of Zurich. Since 2008 Prof. Dr. Rolf H. Weber has been member of the Steering Committee of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) and since 2009 he has been member of the High-level Panel of Advisers of the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID).

In addition, he works as an attorney-at-law and as a member of the editorial board of several Swiss and international legal periodicals.
Romana Weber, born in 1985, studied law at the University of Zurich and the University of Geneva and finished her studies in 2007 (MLaw). She is a PhD student at the of University of Lausanne.