This article discusses the effects of “Napster‐like” clone programs on the future of academic e‐books. This review will, first, catalogue the rise and fall of Napster and the development of clone programs that facilitate peer‐to‐peer file sharing; second, examine the main methods by which e‐books are placed on the Web; third, discuss piracy and the subsequent legal issues of intellectual property. Finally, the concept of e‐books in the world of academic publications will be analysed.

This paper proposes that the expansion and subsequent unbridling of the provision of a law clinic in the sector will provide the students with the skills necessary of graduates in the increasingly corporate, commercially motivated, UK university sector. Secondly, it provides a basis for the rationale of a movement in funding bands, a study which is being undertaken by the Higher Education Funding Council for England over the proceeding three years, in consequence to the increasing costs involved to the institutions. This increase in funding, coupled with a determination from the institution and case study evidence as presented in this paper, will hopefully propel clinical legal education to the forefront of undergraduate legal studies in the UK. Clinical legal education is a method of improving the student experience and offers various advantages if integrated fully into the university administrative set up. Such views have been given rigorous academic coverage, however this paper further analyses the academic benefits passed on to the student populace, in relation to the potential advantages to UK universities.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline the challenges and potential solutions of initiating a Sharia law module within a UK law school.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is practical with focus placed on the local and international dimensions.FindingsSharia law is a popular module which adds to a law graduate's portfolio of international legal experience alongside the supplementary benefits provided to students attending from other disciplines. The advantages of interactions with local communities are also discussed.Originality/valueOnly a relatively small number of UK law schools run a module concerning Sharia or Islamic law, thus the paper facilitates other schools furthering the international aspects involved in the teaching and practice of law.

This article presents a preliminary discussion of two points of interest. Part one puts forward that libraries need to be actively aware of the health and safety issues relating to computer workstations, this awareness will allow sensible steps to be taken not just to mitigate potential liability concerns but to ensure that computer technology is accessible and also easily and comfortably used by library employees and public users of the library. Part two argues that libraries will need to be versed in the dual disciplines of computer technology and copyright law to allow librarians and the library's computer support service to prevent copyright infringement. Libraries must distance themselves from potential piracy such as e-book, music, games and computer software downloads facilitated by the peer-topeer network. The article reviews, dissects and finally presents some tentative solutions that may mitigate the potential litigation from health and safety and piracy.