Twenty years ago, the US Supreme Court’s decision in Reno v. ACLU established the framework for internet free speech and liability that remains in place today. This conference will consider the continuing viability of the Reno vision in the face of multiplying concerns about sex trafficking online, terrorist content, election interference, and other forms of contested content.
The conference will bring together key architects of the legislative, litigation and grassroots strategies that culminated in the Reno v. ACLU decision and those in industry, advocacy groups, and academia currently shaping internet policy. Topics will include the Reno vision of the internet; strategy for internet policy advocacy – then and now; and challenges to free expression online today. We will examine the international dimensions of internet free expression, the impact of changing business models, and the raging debate over corporate responsibility.
The goals of the conference are to provide a richer view of the advocacy that produced theReno v. ACLU framework; to document continuing and unique challenges facing the internet today; to put the past and present in conversation about the future of the internet; and to identify opportunities for research, community building, and action to address today’s challenges.
Fenwick's copyright litigation co-chair Andrew Bridges will participate in a panel discussion titled "The Reno Legal Framework: Strengths and Limitations".