June 16, 2009
call for papers 2nd annual conference on innovation and communications law
The University of Louisville hosts the Second Annual Conference on Innovation and Communications Law on August 21 and 22, 2009. The Conference, a follow-up to the conference held in Turku in 2008, is a cooperative effort of the University of Louisville School of Law, University of Turku Faculty of Law, Michigan State University College of Law, Drake University Law School and IPR University Center in Helsinki, Finland. The conference sponsors seek proposals for presentations from those in academics, government, and industry.
This year's conference will focus mainly on the role intellectual property and communications law play in the dissemination of information. As a result, discussion will focus less on the creation of rights, and more on how the legal system helps (or hinders) the development of knowledge. For example, we anticipate one or more sessions dealing with licensing and franchising issues. Other possible topics include the role of intellectual property registration, the law governing trade secrets and confidential information, remedy issues, and the special case of university inventions and works. Because many of the participants will come from countries other than the United States, proposals with an international or comparative law perspective are especially encouraged.
Anyone interested in presenting at the conference should submit a written abstract of the topic (not to exceed two letter size or A4 pages) to Professor John Cross (john.cross@louisville.edu). To be ensured full consideration, proposals should be submitted no later than July 2, 2009.
Note also that the University of Louisville Law Review has agreed to produce a symposium issue of papers submitted at the conference. Presenters are encouraged to prepare articles setting out, or expanding upon, the subject of their presentations. The final draft of the paper will be due a few weeks after the conference.
