Legal practice
The areas of expertise of the law firm cover computer and information technology law. The legal services offered include litigation and advice (advising, negociating and drafting contracts, setting up of internal legal procedures). Following are examples of matters for which the firm has assisted clients on over the last years :
• International expert for the EU funded Ecomleb project for the drafting of an appropriate legal and regulatory framework for e-transactions in Lebanon (september 2004 – may 2005).
• litigations concerning liability of internet providers (acces and hosting service providers).
• litigations related to criminal computer law : software infringment, security of personnal data.
• litigations related to trademarks, infrigments, domain names.
• personnal data : audits, privacy policies, studies related to the marketing of databases and advertisement by e-mail for mass-marketing and communication sectors, filings with the French Protection Data Authority, transborder data flow agreements, legal advice for a ministerial project.
• negociating and drafting contracts : hosting and ISP agreements, copyright assignments, computer related services agreements, software licences, e-business contracts, domain names.
• advices and studies : security of electronic communications, information systems security, legal aspects of storage of electronic acts and electronic signature, open source softwares.
• legal watch : the firm is the French correspondant of Cullen International which provides regulatory support services concerning the European Union and its Member States on e-business and multimedia law.
Resume
Valérie Sédallian was admitted to the Paris Bar in 1992, where she worked as an associate in law firms engaged in general corporate law, before she deciding in 1997 to create her own law firm and to dedicate her practice to the field of computer and new information technology law. She has obtained her masters in law at the University of Paris XI, Sceaux (Maîtrise en Droit Privé 1989) and an advanced degree in business law at the Sorbonne (DEA Droit des Affaires 1990).
In January 1996, she decided to create the Internet Juridique , the first French web site dedicated to information technology law.
She is the author of the « Internet Law » , ( Droit de l’Internet ), éditions Net Press, 1997, one of the first books published in France on the subject and the co-author of » IT purchase contracts, legal and practical aspects » (2005).
She lectures law students at the University of Paris X for the classes of the DESS de Droit public des NTIC and at the University of Poitiers for the classes of the Magistère en droit des techniques de l’information et de la communication.
Publications
« Computer purchase contract, legal and practical aspects » ,
book written in cooperation with Jérôme Dupré, éditions Vuibert, 2005
« Internet Law » , Net Press éditions, 1997, ISBN 2-9510901-0-2.
Ensure the security of electronic exchanges, Eurostaf editions, March 2003.
Liabilities of employers as ISP, LEGICOM, n° 27, 2002/2, page 47.
« Warranties and liabilities in open source software », Juriscom.net, September 2002
« Storage of electronic acts » , Cahiers Lamy Droit de l’informatique et des Réseaux, Juillet 2002.
« Contractual obligations of computer technology providers » , Juriscom.net et Cahiers du Lamy Droit de l’Informatique et des Réseaux, Octobre 2001.
Comments on the Yahoo France Case :
• Comments on the May 22, 2000 French Court ruling , Juriscom.net and Cahiers Droit de l’Informatique et des Réseaux, November 2000.
• Comments on the November 20, 20000 French Court Ruling Juriscom.net and Cahiers Lamy Droit de l’Informatique et des Réseaux, December 2000.
« Comments on research tools liability » , Cahier Lamy Droit de l’informatique et des réseaux, May 2000.
« The Internet and the evolution of the legal practice : a lawyer’s experience » , contribution to the collective book, Law and Artificial Intelligence, under the direction of Danièle Bourcier, Patricia Hassett, Christophe Roquilly, édtions Romillat, 2000. Les droits des salariés au regard du traitement et de la diffusion de données les concernant sur un intranet, JCP E, 1999 n° 49 p. 1952.
« Liability of Internet Service Providers in the United States Digital Millenium Copyright Act and in the draft of the European Directive on E-commerce » , Cahiers Lamy du Droit de l’Informatique et des Réseaux, janvier 1999.
« Questions raised by French legislation on cryptology » , Revue Droit de l’informatique et des télécoms, 1998/4 p. 23.
« Lliability of internet acces providers », Bulletin de la Compagnie Nationale des Experts Judiciaires en Informatique et Techniques Associées, May 1997.
Oral presentations / Speeches
Valérie Sédallian has given various speeches and oral presentations on new technology law, such as :
Liabilities of ISP under French law, University of Montréal, Session on laws of the digital society, Montréal, Québec, Canada, October 7, 2004.
Open source software licences, CEJEM-ADIM, Centre Panthéon, March 13, 2003.
Droit et Toile Seminar, organized by UNITAR, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, Ouagadougou, Burkina Fasso, 13-17 January 2003.
« Legal aspects of storing electronic data » , 19th IDT/Net Congress , Session on continuance of digital information, Paris, June 4-6, 2002.
« Copyright law and the Internet » , Autour du libre 2002 , INT Evry, 29-31 mai 2002.
« On-line services offers for information technology professionals : the important contract terms » , software, ADBS meetings on on-line information-documentation and business competitiveness, Reims, March 30-31, 2001.
« Proof and electronic signature » , 4th French-German seminar organized by the Association des avocats conseils d’entreprises and the deutscher anwalt verein on « Law and New technologies », April 14-15, 2000.
« Implementation of the European Directive on Personal Data and the inconsistency with the United States legislation » , IDT/Net Congress, Session on legal updates, Paris, june 8-10, 1999.
« Questions raised by key-escrow systems » , International Congress on Information Technology Security, Paris La Défense, June 4-5, 1998.
« Use of the Internet within work places » , Euroforum conference: « Which legal framework for the Internet », Paris January 28-29, 1998.
26th conference de the International Bar Association, in Berlin, October 23rd, Media Law Committee » Censoring the Internet : a lawyer’s deceit « , presentation on : « Controlling illegal content over the Internet : the French situation « .
Other activities
Member of the Scientific Board of Juriscom.net .
Member of the CLUSIF committee on « Security of health information systems ».
In charge of the law committee of the French Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC)
Member of the Paris bar committee on new technologies and of the ADIJ, Association pour le Développement de l’Informatique Juridique.
