Companies conducting business on the Internet have long been concerned with the possibility of opening themselves up to the laws of any foreign country where their site might be accessed.
To date, French, Australian, German and American courts have allowed themselves to exercise jurisdiction over foreign companies, which in some cases were not even established commercial operations in the countries in which they were sued.
The American Bar Association and the International Chamber of Commerce are jointly conducting an international survey to determine the practical effects of Internet jurisdiction worldwide.
The initial findings of the survey should be released by mid-November. Companies of all sizes are encouraged to participate in the exercise, which they can do anonymously. The closing date for submission of the survey is Tuesday, 30 September.
Any queries can be directed to Ryk Meiring, country correspondent, or the survey can be filled in at this Web site, care of the KZN Law Society.
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