CNN logo navigation Infoseek/Big Yellow Pathfinder/Warner Bros Tech banner Serving up Internet solutions @ www.wimbledon.org rule GERMANY PASSES WORLD'S FIRST CYBERSPACE LAW graphic July 4, 1997 Web posted at: 4:10 p.m. EDT (2010 GMT) BONN, Germany (AP) -- Germany on Friday became the first country to pass a law regulating the free-wheeling global electronic space of the Internet. Chancellor Helmut Kohl's government says the so-called multimedia law creates legal clarity that will help boost commercialization of cyberspace and combats illegal uses of the Internet such as for pornography. Critics say the law is an example of Germany's urge to regulate and may in fact deter investors in Internet services because it does not state clearly to what extent the providers would be liable for content they don't control. The law gained final approval in the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, an unusually swift six months after the government proposed it. It takes effect August 1. "We are entering uncharted territory," said Joerg Appelhans, spokesman for Germany's research and technology ministry. Controversially, the law says online providers can be prosecuted for offering a venue for illegal content if they do so knowingly and it is "technically possible and reasonable" to prevent it. This could apply to forums and similar exchanges offered by online services without direct control over their content. However, "the liability provisions for providers are a big unknown," said Christopher Kuner, an Frankfurt attorney specializing in cyberspace issues. "It leaves a lot of things open." The American Chamber of Commerce in Germany says liability for Internet services will have to be tested by court rulings, which "may cause prudent investors to hesitate." But research and technology minister Juergen Ruettgers said a law was needed, partly to protect German children. "That applies even to a network that knows no national borders," he said. "The Internet is not outside the reach of the law." Copyright 1997 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. rule Related stories: * Countries face cyber-control in their own ways - July 1, 1997 * Supreme Court strikes down Internet smut law - June 26, 1997 Search for related CNN stories: ________________________________________ ______ [Help] Tip: You can restrict your search to the title of a document. Infoseek grfk Example: title:New Year's Resolutions rule Watch these shows on CNN for more sci-tech stories: CNN Computer Connection | Future Watch | Science & Technology Week rule Message Boards Sound off on our message boards Tell us what you think! You said it... [INLINE] Serving up Internet solutions @ www.wimbledon.org rule To the top © 1997 Cable News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.