Architecting and Managing Virtual Learning Networks: : A Business Process-orientated Approach to Legal Compliance

Virtual Learning Networks (VLN) offer many novel business opportunities. We show an illustrative scenario where these novel opportunities offer significant new legal challenges. Thus, regulation -- including privacy and IPR issues -- is a highly relevant issue for executives managing VLN. Legal breaches raise liability issues for VLN organisers, while affecting the design of the VLN, and raise questions of business and academic reputation and value. We show that these legal issues highlight the need for careful consideration when using Agent Technologies and the need for a 'legal architecture' supporting system design. We contend that a novel process view of organisations enhances the possibilities for creating legally compliant VLNs, as models can be developed that embed legal processes at the design time, enhancing the value proposition of VLNs.