Innovation and intellectual property rights

Today's economy is largely based on the exploitation and sharing of knowledge. Innovation is the driving force behind this knowledge-based and creative economy. Support for innovation is therefore at the heart of public policy, both with respect to universities and the economic world.At the company level, innovation strategies are defined to develop and exploit intangible assets. In these strategies, intellectual property rights play a preponderant role, whether it is to protect, measure, value or encourage innovative activities.
Innovation and intellectual property are at the heart of the teaching and research of the members of the CRIDES-IPI group (Innovation and Intellectual Property).

At the company level, innovation strategies are defined to develop and exploit intangible assets. In these strategies, intellectual property rights play a preponderant role, whether it is to protect, measure, value or encourage innovative activities.

Innovation and intellectual property are at the heart of the teaching and research of the members of the CRIDES-IPI group (Innovation and Intellectual Property).

Interdisciplinarity

The approach of the CRIDES-IPI group is interdisciplinary and privileges the interface between law and economics.
The light of other disciplines, such as history or political science, also makes it possible to highlight the stakes of legal questions. Some projects require a dialogue with specialists in science and technology, for example in the biotechnology and information technology sectors.

Research areas

The main lines of research focus on:

•    Economic aspects of intellectual property rights, including the relationship between competition law and intellectual property rights
•    Patents, especially in high innovation sectors such as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
•   The protection of secrecy and know-how, in particular through the contract
•    Trademarks, a strategic tool for companies
• Copyright in the digital world, including the protection of software, databases, video games and other information products
• Internet law and new information and communication technologies
• Open"innovation" and new contractual forms of exploitation of creations
•   Legislative or jurisprudential developments in Europe, for example the implementation of the new patent architecture or the Europeanization of intellectual property rights by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Research-teaching interaction

This research feeds into the teaching notamment, particularly the three courses in the intellectual rights option :

•    LDROP2101 : Aspects économiques de la propriété intellectuelle-Economic Aspects of Intellectual Property (D. Kaesmacher, A. Strowel et Fr. Wéry)
•    LDROP2102 : Questions approfondies relatives aux droits intellectuels (A. Strowel)
•    LDROP2103 : Droit des contrats relatifs à la propriété intellectuelle (V. Cassiers et F. de Visscher)

Membres

CRIDES-IPI members whose work focuses on innovation and intellectual property include:

The research of the members is nourished by their practice at the bar, in companies or in the service of public institutions.

Partnerships

The group will pursue partnerships with the Université Saint-Louis-Bruxelles and the KULeuven.

Colloquia and other scientific events are organized with these close institutions, such as the conference "Are patent settlements anti-competitive?" (organized with the USL in Brussels on 18/10/2013).

At the international level, the group will develop exchanges with research institutions, in particular with the Max-Planck Institute in Munich. Finally, the group will intensify relations with a number of public institutions, such as the European Commission and the European Patent Office, as well as Belgian administrations at federal, community and regional levels.