In doing so, they are creating new grounds for controversy. VM provides for online arbitration and fact-finding involving complaints submitted by electronic mail or via its site on the World Wide Web. Organizers envision that Internet users, system operators and others will submit complaints related to Internet or online messages, postings and files. Issues appropriate for the VM might include copyright or trademark infringement, misappropriate of trade secrets, defamation, fraud, deceptive trade practices, inappropriate materials, invasion of privacy, and other wrongful content. An impartial magistrate is assigned to each complaint.
Proceedings take place through electronic mail.
The goal in each case will be for the magistrate to reach a decision within 72 hours. Information on decided cases will be publicly available on the Web. The VM maintains a pool of neutral arbitrators with experience in the law and use of computer networks to serve as magistrates. Villanova maintains the online repository of complaints, decisions and documents. The first decision to come out of the VM project was issued just last month, and, as may be expected on the Internet, it quickly came under attack.