Attention Harvard Law students!

HLS CLINICAL REGISTRATION

Harvard Law School clinical registration for the upcoming WINTER 2011 and SPRING 2011 terms takes place THIS WEEK! Registration opens on Tuesday, October 19th and ends on Friday, October 22nd. Detailed information about how to register for clinics using the MYPLAN system is available here.

ABOUT THE CYBERLAW CLINIC

HLS 2Ls and 3Ls interested in legal issues relating to technology and the Internet are encouraged to register for the Cyberlaw Clinic, which is based at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. The Cyberlaw Clinic engages students in a wide range of real-world litigation, licensing, client counseling, advocacy, and legislative projects and cases, covering a broad spectrum of Internet, new technology, and intellectual property issues. The Clinic provides high-quality, pro-bono legal services to appropriate individuals, small start-ups, non-profit groups, and government entities. The Clinic was the first of its kind, and it continues its tradition of innovation in its areas of practice.

The Clinic’s work includes counseling and legal guidance regarding complex open access, digital copyright, and fair use issues; litigation, amicus filings, and other advocacy to protect online speech and anonymity; legal resources and advice for citizen journalists; licensing and contract advice, especially regarding Creative Commons and other “open” licenses; patent reexamination requests for overly broad technology patents; and drafting amicus briefs, motions, and training materials in the areas of child pornography and youth online safety.

REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

Examples of Clinic projects from recent years include:

• drafted amicus briefs on behalf of coalitions of media organizations in cases involving online speech and state Anti-SLAPP laws;
• assisted with preparation of Internet Safety Technical Task Force report, advising state attorneys general nationwide about online child safety and child exploitation;
• counseled non-profit online startup that promotes responsible consumer behavior about liability and immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act;
• advised research and advocacy organization on open source licensing options for software tool;
• responded to cease-and-desist letters on behalf of individuals and organizations accused of defamation online;
• drafted motion to quash subpoena seeking the identity of an anonymous blogger;
• drafted website terms of use, privacy policy, and content licenses for music website; and
• conducted research and prepared legal briefs for local state and federal prosecutors on issues concerning child protection and digital evidence.

ENROLLMENT CRITERIA AND RELATED COURSES

Winter term students receive 2 credits for 120 hours of clinical work during the term in January. Spring term students may opt to enroll for 2, 3, or 4 credits and must work an average of 5 hours per week per credit for which they are enrolled.

Each student must enroll in the Clinic in conjunction with a related HLS course, and course registration takes place at the same time as clinical registration. Available courses vary by semester. Students may register this week to enroll in the Cyberlaw Clinic in conjunction with any of the following HLS courses:

• Child Exploitation, Pornography, and the Internet: Seminar (Rosenfeld/Sacco, Spring 2011);
• Cybercrime: Seminar (Malone, Spring 2011);
• Intellectual Property Law: Advanced (Fisher, Spring 2011); and
• Music and Digital Media (Bavitz, Spring 2011).

Although all four of these course are offered during the spring term, students may register to enroll in the Clinic during either the winter or spring term in connection with any of the courses.