The Citizen Media Law Project is now the Digital Media Law Project

We are pleased to announce that the Citizen Media Law Project has now transitioned to its new name, the Digital Media Law Project.

The Citizen Media Law Project was created in 2007 to support the vibrant online culture of citizen media and independent journalism by providing free legal advice and information on a wide range of media law, intellectual property and business law issues.

Since then, there has been an explosion of novel online journalism and publishing ventures, with the development of new ways of bringing information of critical public importance to light. Experiments abound as innovators in the journalism space attempt to fill the information gap left by the contraction of traditional news organizations. These experiments often originate from citizen journalists attempting to improve their own communities, but they are as likely to come from professional journalists seeking a new voice through independent online ventures.

The expansion and complexity of the online publishing environment makes the change from “Citizen” to “Digital” a natural progression.  Jeff Hermes, Director of the Digital Media Law Project (DMLP), explains: “Our new name recognizes the valuable contributions of all who seek to advance independent journalism, whether citizens or professionals. The change also reflects our own continuing development of new ways to support the legal needs of independent journalism ventures.”

Since its launch, the project has developed a coordinated suite of legal resources to address a journalism venture’s specific needs. The DMLP’s networks of attorneys, clients and scholars serve as an early warning system that allows the project to respond to breaking legal issues affecting journalism. The DMLP’s online legal guide provides detailed information on a wide range of media and business law topics, and the DMLP’s threats database tracks legal actions against online speech. The DMLP also operates a 50-state pro bono lawyer referral network to provide experienced counsel when direct representation is needed.

The project is part of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, a research center founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development. For more information about the Digital Media Law Project, please visit the project website at our new URL, http://www.dmlp.org. Media inquiries may be directed to the Berkman Center at press@cyber.harvard.edu.

Web: http://www.dmlp.org
Twitter: @DMLPBerkman