At last, a book on cyber law in Jamaica!
From: Jamaica Observer
Patterson hails timely launch of publication against Cybercrimes Act debate
Jamaica now has a concise legal source of material to provide guidance on cyber law, thanks to the work of copyright lawyer, Nicole Foga of the Kingston-based firm, Foga Daley.
Atorney-at-law and former prime minister, P J Patterson immediately hailed the book, Cyber Law in Jamaica, as timely against the background of the current review of the Cybercrimes Act by a Joint Select Committee of Parliament.
Patterson who was main speaker at the recent launch of the book, also called for greater public education and a focused response to the many facets of cyber law in the face of “the severe dangers posed by illicit operations in cyberspace to areas such as national security, financial conglomerates, utility groups, business transactions copyright and the environment”.
Explaining the genesis of the book, Foga said she was always fascinated by the law as it related to information and communication technology and “I was concerned that although cyber law was becoming increasingly topical and of greater relevance to our society, there was no concise legal source material that offered guidance”.
“The book was written to help fill that void,” she told the Jamaica Observer, at the same time acknowledging as appropriate and fitting, the involvement in the book launch of Jampro, the state investment promotion agency, based on Jampro’s many years of promoting the development of the ICT Sector in Jamaica.
Patterson in his address underscored the importance of providing a legal framework for cyberspace, noting: “Jamaican cyber law is fraught with challenges but arguably the most significant is the lag in time between when legal issues emerge due to ICTs, and the implementation of an appropriate and responsive legal and regulatory framework to address these issues.
“Public education about the subject matter and a focused response to cyber law in its various dimensions is therefore imperative,” he stated.
Patterson also welcomed the active involvement of JAMPRO in the launch of the book, noting that existing and potential investors needed to be fully informed of the country’s cyber law regime, as this would likely impact their decision to do business in the island.
He said that the publication Cyber Law in Jamaica exposed the myriad aspects of cyber law from a Jamaican perspective, and reviewed the responses to date. He described the book as timely, partly because of the current review of the Cybercrimes Act by a Joint Select Committee.
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