The Gruter Institute for Law and Behavioral Research believes it is time to look once again at the interaction of the rules of intellectual property with the evolved psychology of human beings. In recent years, our understanding of human motivation, thought and behavior has been greatly enriched by the contributions of cognitive neuroscience and related fields. We believe that the emerging synthesis can provide newly fruitful starting points for advancing the study of the law and institutions of both property and intellectual property. The Gruter Institute co-sponsored a one-day workshop, on April 28, 2005 at the Center for Advanced Study of the Behavioral Sciences to explore these concerns, and addressed these concerns again in a conference co-sponsored by the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property in Munich, Germany in September 2006. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the task, we have invited diverse participants from many fields of law, science, industry and practice to participate in the initiative.
A full project summary can be found by downloading the white paper .pdf
Intellectual Property Conference List
Conference: “Intellectual Property and Behavioral Science.” Gruter Institute and Max-Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition, and Tax Law, Munich, August 28-29, 2006.
Workshop: “Property, Intellectual Property and the Brain.” Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA, April 28, 2005.
Workshop: “Workshop: From Personal to Impersonal Trusted Exchange in The Physical and Digital Domains: An Evolutionary Perspective.” Gruter Institute and Berkman Center Roundtable Series, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, April 27, 2005.
Workshop: “Cooperative Structures and Institutions: Evolutionary, Legal and Digital Perspectives.” Gruter Institute and Berkman Center Roundtable Series, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, March 30, 2005.
Workshop: “Emotions, Retaliation and the ‘Culture of Honor’: An Evolutionary and Neuroscience Approach.” Gruter Institute and Berkman Center Roundtable Series, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, March 3, 2005.
Workshop: Trust, Civil Society, and Economic Development.”, Gruter Institute and Berkman Center Roundtable Series, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, November 17, 2004.
Workshop: “Honest Signaling and Other Strategies for Building Reliability and Trust on the Internet”, Gruter Institute and Berkman Center Roundtable Series, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, October 13, 2004.
Workshop: “Introductory Session: From Personal to Impersonal Trusted Exchange — An Evolutionary and Neuro-economic Perspective,” as part of the Gruter Institute and Berkman Center Roundtable Series, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, September 22, 2004.
Conference Panel as part of the 150th Anniversary Celebration of Santa Clara University: “The Future of Intellectual Property: Biotechnology.” April 27, 2001.