Past IP Days Conferences
IP Days brings together economists and legal scholars to present and discuss policy relevant research concerning intellectual property and innovation. Presentations include a mix of applied economic and legal theory, empirical analysis, and panel discussions featuring managers and practicing lawyers.
IP Day 2023
July 17, 2023
Complex regulatory and social problems are linked to the patent system and more generally to government policies that encourage innovation. At the Seventh Annual Boston University Technology & Policy Research Initiative IP Day conference we will address the connections between: patents, innovation and discrimination; patents and productivity; innovation policy and corporate R&D; and finance and patent litigation.
Event Agenda with papers and videos
IP Day 2022
July 22, 2022
The Sixth Annual Boston University Technology & Policy Research Initiative IP Day conference focuses on two main themes: (1) The impact of patents on pharmaceutical innovation, and (2) Policy interactions of patent, trade secret, trademark, and antitrust law as applied to innovation. Pharma-sector presenters will discuss how patent policy affects global access to medicine, as well as the impacts of intellectual property policy on the strategies of pharmaceutical firms within the U.S. Other presenters will cover a variety of topics including the choice of trade secret or patent protection to appropriate value from innovation, and the use of antitrust law to limit the strength and scope of intellectual property rights.
Event Agenda with papers and videos
IP Days 2021
July 29-30, 2021
Intellectual property rights provide incentives to innovate, but those incentives depend crucially on the administrative and legal processes that determine the scope of inventors’ rights. How well do administrative processes like patent examination work? How do they shape inventors’ behavior? What are the implications for follow-on innovation and diffusion of new technology?
Event Agenda with papers and videos
IP Day 2020
Intellectual Property and Technology Markets
July 27-28, 2020
Intellectual property rights not only provide incentives to innovate, but also support trade in markets for ideas and technology. From patent licensing to technology transfer to mergers and acquisitions, how well do these markets function in different industries and for different types of intellectual property? Are technology markets working efficiently for buyers, sellers and creators of IP? How can public policy support the division of innovative labor and balance the incentives to create and disseminate new ideas?
IP Day 2019
Current Research on Patent Prosecution
July 22, 2019
What issues are patent applicants and examiners wrestling with today, and what do they tell us about the state of innovation in the U.S.?
Event Agenda with papers, slides, and videos
IP Day 2018
Patents: A historical perspective
July 27, 2018
What can history tell us about the role of patents in economic growth, about the development of new institutions, and about the nature of innovation?