Teaching
This course is a new course designed to learn about the various legal issues rising from the development of the e-commerce. The course will start the examination of the general characteristics of e-commerce and the framework of e-commerce law with the background knowledge on computer technology and information network (pre-reading). Here we will pay a special attention to the rise of social network and its impacts on e-commerce. The course will then examine the various legal issues for starting up e-commerce: registration of a company, opening website and/or offering products or service on the platforms, such as online shopping mall, including the legal issues on domain name, management of website and restrictions on offered products or services. Then, the course will turn attention to contractual issues, including application of contract law to e-commerce and the validity of e-signature as well as legal issues on payment. This part also examines the consumer protection measures for on-line customers. The next part will examine the legal issues on on-line advertisement, including un-solicited e-mail and regulation on on-line advertisement. The course will then examine the legal liability for breach of contract and for torts. This part also explores the liability of intermediary and the dispute-resolution mechanism. The course will move on to examination of privacy and data protection. This part will start from the examination of personal information protection legal scheme and then discuss some of the legal issues on protection of personal information for e-commerce, necessity of encryption and the legal system to secure the network. The final part will cover emergent issues, involving the issues in the e-gaming, sharing economy and cryptocurrency.This course is an experimental course to define the e-commerce law and provide sufficient legal knowledge for students who want to learn about on-going and emerging legal issues in e-commerce.
This seminar examines the various unique aspects of Japanese law, focusing on business law in Japan. The seminar starts with the brief historical review of Japanese law and brief examination of the Japanese society. It then examines the basic Japanese legal system, including the court system, attorneys and judges, legal education system, dispute resolution system, including the civil litigation process and ADR, and some characteristics of the Japanese society on law and legal disputes. The seminar then moves on to the basic foundation of business law, including the constitutional government structure, constitutional protection of economic liberties, contract, tort, consumer protection, and labor relationship. Then the seminar examines the business law and business regulation, starting from the examination of business organization, corporate governance, shareholder’ rights and derivative action, merger and acquisition, anti-trust regulation and protection of intellectual property rights. Finally, the seminar will examine the administrative business regulation and punishment on business crimes. Throughout all these examinations, the seminar will prompt the students to compare Japan with Canada or the students’ home countries and attempt to find what are so unique to Japan and whether there is anything the students can draw lessons from Japan. This seminar will expand the student’s knowledge and encourage all students to look beyond their borders to learn business law from foreign country where law and practice is strikingly different from Canada. Participants are requested to read the relevant pages of the textbook or indicated pages of the underlined articles beforehand and come to the class. The other materials listed here are only for students who would like to have much deeper knowledge in the topic. Active participation in the class discussion is strongly encouraged.
This course examines various questions involving freedom of expression, especially focusing on Canada. The course will start with the examination of values of freedom of expression and general theoretical framework, especially focusing whether the mass media should be granted privileged status. The course will then examine various content-based restrictions on speech, such as ban on disclosure of national secret, ban on advocacy of illegal action, regulation of election speech, restriction of other political expression, civil and criminal liability for defamation, civil liability for invasion of privacy, regulation of offensive speech, ban on hate speech, ban on pornography, ban on child-pornography, regulation of sexually explicit expression, regulation of commercial expression and protection of copyright. Then, the course will also examine the content-neutral restrictions on freedom of expression, restriction on newsgathering, including protection of confidential sources. It will also examine the right of access to the government information, including right of access to the courtroom and the right of access to government-held information under the Access to Information Act. The course will also examine the regulation of broadcasting and new media, including the cable television, satellite television and the Internet. Then, the students will face the question of social responsibility of the mass media, the issue of right of access to the mass media and the limits of government speech.Throughout the course, the students are encouraged to analyze these constitutional issues under the protection of freedom of expression of the Charter. But the course will also examine various issues presented in other countries, especially in the United Kingdom, the United States, or other European countries.
This course is a new course designed to learn about the various legal issues rising from the development of the e-commerce. The course will start the examination of the general characteristics of e-commerce and the framework of e-commerce law with the background knowledge on computer technology and information network (pre-reading). Here we will pay a special attention to the rise of social network and its impacts on e-commerce. The course will then examine the various legal issues for starting up e-commerce: registration of a company, opening website and/or offering products or service on the platforms, such as online shopping mall, including the legal issues on domain name, management of website and restrictions on offered products or services. Then, the course will turn attention to contractual issues, including application of contract law to e-commerce and the validity of e-signature as well as legal issues on payment. This part also examines the consumer protection measures for on-line customers. The next part will examine the legal issues on on-line advertisement, including un-solicited e-mail and regulation on on-line advertisement. The course will then examine the legal liability for breach of contract and for torts. This part also explores the liability of intermediary and the dispute-resolution mechanism. The course will move on to examination of privacy and data protection. This part will start from the examination of personal information protection legal scheme and then discuss some of the legal issues on protection of personal information for e-commerce, necessity of encryption and the legal system to secure the network. The final part will cover emergent issues, involving the issues in the e-gaming, sharing economy and cryptocurrency.This course is an experimental course to define the e-commerce law and provide sufficient legal knowledge for students who want to learn about on-going and emerging legal issues in e-commerce.