The public discussion is cliche-ridden and rests partially on questionable assumptions. In reality, you will not find all of the information you need to practice international law on the World Wide Web, particularly if you expect to obtain the information free of charge. However, if you are realistic about what to expect, and if you use the Web strategically, it can be one useful research tool among many.
Secondary resources are extremely important in foreign and international law research.
For civil law practitioners, such resources are generally much more important than judicial opinions. Authors and publishers will not work without an incentive. Secondary resources available on the Web can be classified according to the incentives for publishing them. The real value of the Web for free legal research lies rather in the availability there of primary law materials and public information. Web sites that provide this information are of various kinds.