from left to right: Prof. Christoph Rademacher (Waseda University), Dr. Matthias Lamping, Prof. Dr. Matthias Leistner (LMU), Anna Chiettini, Prof. Klaus D. Beiter (Northwestern University South Africa), Peter Slowinski, Tian Lu
Event Report  |  07/26/2023

41st ATRIP Conference

The 41st ATRIP Conference was held in Tokyo, Japan, from 9 to 12 July. Under the title "The Interface of Intellectual Property Law With Other Legal Disciplines - What Can IP Learn From Its Interactions With Different Fields of Law and Vice Versa", scholars from five continents met and exchanged views on a wide range of current, primarily intradisciplinary topics.

f.l.t.r: Prof. Christoph Rademacher (Waseda University), Dr. Matthias Lamping, Prof. Dr. Matthias Leistner (LMU), Anna Chiettini, Prof. Dr. Klaus D. Beiter (Northwestern University South Africa), Peter Slowinski, Tian Lu
from left to right: Prof. Christoph Rademacher (Waseda University), Dr. Matthias Lamping, Prof. Dr. Matthias Leistner (LMU), Anna Chiettini, Prof. Dr. Klaus D. Beiter (Northwestern University South Africa), Peter Slowinski, Tian Lu
from left to right: Prof. Christoph Rademacher (Waseda University), Dr. Matthias Lamping, Prof. Dr. Matthias Leistner (LMU), Anna Chiettini, Prof. Klaus D. Beiter (Northwestern University South Africa), Peter Slowinski, Tian Lu
from left to right: Prof. Christoph Rademacher (Waseda University), Dr. Matthias Lamping, Prof. Dr. Matthias Leistner (LMU), Anna Chiettini, Prof. Klaus D. Beiter (Northwestern University South Africa), Peter Slowinski, Tian Lu

The Institute was represented by five researchers at the main conference and the PhD workshop - also including two speakers at the conference: Matthias Lamping, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute,  contributed a session on  “Regulation through Litigation - Private Enforcement in the Public Interest”, Peter R. Slowinski, Research Fellow, presented on  “Differentiated Liability. What Patent Law Can Learn from Criminal Law”. 


In addition, the participants included numerous former employees, scholarship holders and guests of the Institute.

Visiting group with scientists in front of the building of the company TQ
Miscellaneous  |  07/01/2023

Pin Factory Visit – Science Learns from the Real World

In the spirit of the NBER Pin Factory Visits – company visits conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research since the mid-1990s to promote field research in economics and make site visits an important part of empirical research – the team of the Institute’s Eco­nomics Department visited several sites of the TQ Group on 23 June 2023. TQ is highly innovative in the field of electronic products and services.

Visiting group with scientists in front of the building of the company TQ
TQ Pin Factory Visit
Group of visitors in a production hall
First insights into production
View on a screen: Reasons why automation is not implemented
Lively exchange on the question of why SMEs in Germany are lagging behind in automation.
Scientist tests robot
A scientist tests the operation of a so-called cobot.

The idea of pin factory visits goes back to Adam Smith, who at the end of the 18th century used the production of pins to illustrate the increase in productivity through the division of labor.


As one of the largest technology service providers and electronics specialists in Germany, the technology company TQ Group offers tailored and innovative solutions to a wide range of industries, from development, production and other services to product lifecycle management. It is active in the fields of E²MS (Electronic Engineering Manufacturing Services), embedded systems, drives, robotics, automation, medical applications as well as aviation and avionics.


In addition, TQ provides a complete range of its own products, such as embedded modules, base boards, human-machine interface systems, and drive and automation solutions. TQ also combines both as an ODM (Original Design Manufacturer). On the basis of its modular service and solution portfolio, the company develops and produces customer-specific products internationally, relying on “Made in Germany”. It is thus exemplary in the area of innovation in many respects and can provide science with interesting insights into the reality of innovative companies in Germany.


Insights at three sites


The team of the economics department visited three sites in six hours. The first route led to the company headquarters in Gut Delling near Seefeld in Upper Bavaria, where the doctoral students and postdocs, together with Dietmar Harhoff, had the opportunity to exchange ideas with the CEO and TQ founder Rüdiger Stahl and learn about interesting topics related to innovation, technology and development. Stahl spoke about the company's history, evolution – from a 2-man firm in 1994 to an international technology company – and innovation strategy. The framework conditions, challenges and regulatory restrictions for innovative companies in Germany came up again and again:


The global economic situation presents German companies with a variety of challenges. Fragile supply chains, geopolitical crises and protectionist laws such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act are impacting the ability of German companies to plan and compete. There is a particular need for action in the area of innovation. This also includes traditional sectors such as mechanical engineering and hardware manufacturing, in which continuous innovations must be pursued. Targeted measures are needed to sustainably strengthen innovation in Germany and make German companies competitive on an international level.


At the second site in Inning am Ammersee, Head of Production Julian Hornung gave the group insights into the fabrication of drive systems, from high-performance drives for e-bikes to RoboDrives. Finally, at the third location in Durach, the team took an in-depth look at automation and spoke with Sören Bruckmann, Head of TQ Robotics, Head of Sales Robert Vogel, and Georg Weiß, who heads R&D in Durach. The most debated question was why small and medium-sized companies in Germany lagged so far behind in automation.


In the showroom, a postdoc with research focus on automation and human-machine interactions had the opportunity to test the operation of a so-called cobot, i.e., a collaborative robot that works together with humans and is not separated from them in the production process by protective devices. The final leg of the journey took the team to the Durach production halls, where robots also produce robots.


The Institute’s researchers took away a lot of inspiration and some real-world and practical insights. More pin factory visits are to take place.


To the TQ company website.

Adepi – Associación para el dessarollo de propriedad intellectual
Award  |  06/30/2023

Law Department of the Institute receives the Adepi Award 2023

The Spanish Association for the Development of Intellectual Property (Adepi – Associación para el dessarollo de propriedad intellectual) honors the Institute with its prize this year. The award ceremony will take place on 5 July at the Palacete de los Duques de Pastrana in Madrid. It will be chaired by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta.

Adepi – Associación para el dessarollo de propriedad intellectual
Adepi – Associación para el dessarollo de propriedad intellectual
Adepi – Associación para el dessarollo de propriedad intellectual
Adepi – Associación para el dessarollo de propriedad intellectual
Dr. Begoña Gonzalez Otero with the writer and other laureate Orlando Figes (left) and the Spanish Minister of Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta.
Dr. Begoña Gonzalez Otero with the writer and other laureate Orlando Figes (left) and the Spanish Minister of Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta.

In the statement of reasons for the award, the Adepi cites that the Department of Intellectual Property and Competition Law is “one of the most prestigious and important research centers in the world in this field”.


Since 2019, the Adepi Award recognizes the work of individuals and institutions that work for the protection and development of intellectual property in general and the collective management of rights in particular, from fields such as politics, education, business or law, contributing to the creation of culture in a fair and sustainable way.


Notification on the Adepi website


Update:
At the festive award ceremony on 5 July at the Palacete de los Duques de Pastrana in Madrid, Begoña Gonzalez Otero received the award on behalf of the Institute's Intellectual Property and Competition Law Department from the Spanish Minister of Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta.

Group Picture MSI 2023
Event Report  |  06/15/2023

Munich Summer Institute 2023 – A Review and a Look Forward

Since its beginning back in 2016, the Munich Summer Institute (MSI) has aimed to facilitate networking within an international and interdisciplinary research community. The MSI 2023, attended by around 100 participants, took place in the beautiful premises of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences from 24 to 26 May 2023. It was preceded by the 2nd MSI Ph.D. Workshop on 23 May 2023.

Group Picture MSI 2023
Participants of the Munich Summer Institute 2023
Organizing Team of the MSI 2023
The organizing team of the MSI 2023 with Christian Peukert, Joachim Henkel, Dietmar Harhoff, Imke Reimers, Tobias Kretschmer, Stefan Bechtold, and Hanna Hottenrott (f.l.t.r. ).
Presentation during the MSI 2023
Impression from the presentations

This year, for the 7th edition already, the members of the organizing team from ETH Zurich’s Center for Law & Economics, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Technical University of Munich, and ISTO at LMU Munich were joined by Christian Peukert from HEC Lausanne and Imke Reimers from Northeastern University.


The main conference program comprised 3 keynote lectures, 17 plenary presentations and a daily poster session, including a poster slam.


The first conference day, which was co-organized by Tobias Kretschmer, Christian Peukert, and Imke Reimers, focused on “Creative Industries”, the “Pandemic Push”, the “Regulatory Push”, and “Algorithmic Pricing”. The day’s keynote address was delivered by Nigel Melville, who is an Associate Professor of Technology and Operations at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Management. His topic was “Advancing Environmental Sustainability in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.


Chaired by Dietmar Harhoff, Joachim Henkel, and Hanna Hottenrott, the presentations of the second conference day related to “Knowledge Production”, “R&D and Death”, “R&D and War”, and “R&D, Grants and Taxes”. In her keynote lecture “Incentives and the Social Fabric of Knowledge Work: Evidence from Field Experiments”, Jana Gallus provided evidence from three field experiments to shed light on the effects of non-monetary incentives on knowledge production. Jana Gallus is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Behavioral Decision Making at the Anderson School of Management of the University of California, Los Angeles.


Traditionally, the second day ended with a hearty dinner in a typical Bavarian Inn. During the evening, Kimia Heidary from the University of Leiden received the MSI Ph.D. Workshop’s Best Paper Award for her work “All Is (Not) Fair in Personalized Pricing: Antecedents and Outcomes of Consumer Fairness Perceptions”.


The third and last conference day – chaired by Stefan Bechtold, Imke Reimers, and again Christian Peukert – covered a wide range of innovation-related topics, including “IP & Gender”, trademark and patent law, and a final presentation on innovation in the cannabis market. David L. Schwartz, Frederic P. Vose Professor of Law at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, gave a keynote presentation on the topic “When Companies Choose Inside Counsel: A Case Study from Patents”.


On behalf of the organizers, we would like to thank all speakers, discussants, and attendees  for a fascinating Munich Summer Institute 2023. We are already looking forward to the Munich Summer Institute 2024, which will take place from 22 to 24 May 2024!


The full program of the MSI 2023 can be found here.

The program of the 2nd MSI Ph.D. Workshop is available here.

More information on the MSI website.

Pedro Henrique D. Batista (3rd from left) moderated the first panel.
Event Report  |  05/24/2023

SIPLA Initiative: Technology Transfer and Regional Innovation in the Sector of Renewable Energies in Latin America

The IV Annual Conference of the Initiative “Smart IP for Latin America” (SIPLA) took place at the Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo on 26 April 2023. It marked the inauguration of the Initiative's local Observatory, which will be led by Prof. Juliana Krueger Pela.

Pedro Henrique D. Batista (3rd from left) moderated the first panel.
Pedro Henrique D. Batista (3rd from left) moderated the first panel.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Reto Hilty (right) at the opening of the Conference
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Reto Hilty (right) at the opening of the Conference

The Conference addressed the importance of technology transfer and regional innovation for Latin American countries to develop their great potential for the production of renewable energies in an economically sustainable manner.What are the challenges and the appropriate regulatory frameworks to achieve these objectives? Innovative companies and specialists in regulation from different areas of the renewable energy sector discussed these issues in the first Conference panel.
 

Based on its results, academics from different Latin American countries discussed in the second and third panels the need for regulatory adjustments in the fields of technology transfer contracts and competition law.


Reto Hilty hold a talk at the inauguration of the local Observatory and at the opening of the Conference. Pedro Henrique D. Batista, Research Fellow at the Institute, moderated the first panel of the Conference.

RISE Logo
Miscellaneous  |  05/10/2023

Call for Papers – RISE6 Workshop

Young researchers working in the fields of Economics or Management who would like to present an empirical research paper at the “6th Research on Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurship Workshop” are invited to submit it until 28 July 2023.

For the sixth time now, the two-day event is organized by Ph.D. students and Postdocs of the Department for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research headed by Dietmar Harhoff to give young scholars the opportunity to present their work.


The RISE6 Workshop on 18/19 December 2023 aims at stimulating a rigorous in-depth discussion of a selected number of research papers by Ph.D. students and Junior Postdocs, providing feedback and connecting with peers from other research institutions.


Keynote speaker of the RISE6 Workshop is Ina Ganguli (UMass Amherst).


Get the Call for Papers.


See RISE6 Workshop Website.

MSI Logo
Miscellaneous  |  05/08/2023

Munich Summer Institute 2023 - The Program Is Out!

The program of the Munich Summer Institute is now available here. Keynote Speakers are Nigel P. Melville from the University of Michigan, Jana Gallus from UCLA Anderson and David L. Schwartz from Northwestern University.

The goal of the Munich Summer Institute is to stimulate a rigorous in-depth discussion of a select number of research papers and to strengthen the interdisciplinary international research community in these areas. Researchers in economics, law, management and related fields at all stages of their career attend the Munich Summer Institute as presenters in a plenary or a poster session, as discussants or as attendants. The MSI features three keynote lectures, 12 plenary presentations, and a daily poster session including a poster slam.


The Munich Summer Institute focuses on quantitative empirical research. It is jointly organized by ETH Zurich, HEC Lausanne,LMU Munich, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Northeastern University, and TUM.


More information on the MSI website.

Artha Dermawan
Award  |  04/24/2023

Artha Dermawan ranks 2nd in the ATRIP Essay Competition 2022

Artha Dermawan, doctoral student at the Institute achieves second place in the ATRIP Essay Competition 2022 with his paper “Text and Data Mining Exceptions in the Development of Generative AI Models: What the EU Member States Could Learn from the Japanese ‘Non-Enjoyment’ Purposes”. This paper is a response to the rapid development of generative AI models such as ChatGPT-4, DALL-E 2, and more, and discusses copyright issues by comparing the relevant regulations of Japan, Germany, and the European Union in general.

Artha Dermawan
Artha Dermawan
Artha Dermawan
Artha Dermawan

The article forthcoming in the Journal of World Intellectual Property Journal of World Intellectual Property (probably the November 2023 edition).


Full text of the essay as pdf


More information about all award winners can be found at the ATRIP website.

Group picture WOEPSR 2023
Event Report  |  04/17/2023

Highlight of the 16th Workshop on the Organisation, Economics and Policy of Scientific Research: “AI and Science”

On 13 and 14 April 2023, the Institute hosted the annual “Workshop on the Organisation, Economics and Policy of Scientific Research” (WOEPSR) jointly organized with the Technical University of Munich (TUM). In honor of the late Paul A. David, an outstanding researcher in the economics of scientific progress, the first WOEPSR Award for Young Researchers was presented during a memorial session.

Group picture WOEPSR 2023
Group picture WOEPSR 2023
Kick-off WOEPSR 2023. f.l.t.r. Dietmar Harhoff, Michael E. Rose, Hanna Hottenrott
Kick-off WOEPSR 2023. f.l.t.r. Dietmar Harhoff, Michael E. Rose, Hanna Hottenrott
Audience WOEPSR 2023
Audience WOEPSR 2023
Audience WOEPSR 2023
Audience WOEPSR 2023
Award Ceremony. f.l.t.r. Aldo Geuna, Dror Shvadron, Hanna Hottenrott
Award Ceremony. f.l.t.r. Aldo Geuna, Dror Shvadron, Hanna Hottenrott
The Award Winner Dror Shvadron with Mrs. Sheila David
The Award Winner Dror Shvadron with Mrs. Sheila David

Originally launched in Turin, the workshop location rotates between major European research locations such as the Centre for Research on Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Bath (2018), the GREThA at the Université de Bordeaux-CNRS (2019), and KU Leuven in (2022). Already in 2020, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition hosted the 14th WOEPSR. However, it could only take place online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Next year, the workshop is set to return to its founding institution, the University of Turin.


The organizing team of WOEPSR 2023 included Dietmar Harhoff, Michael E. Rose, and Elisabeth Hofmeister from the Max Planck Institute of Innovation and Competition. Joint organizers were Hanna Hottenrott, Thomas Schaper, and Julian Schwierzy from TUM.


This year’s workshop was finally held in person again. Everyone markedly enjoyed the personal exchange over the course of the workshop: recurring participants reunited, while aspiring researchers had an excellent opportunity to network within this enthusiastic community.


The 18 presentations in five sessions over two days were very well received by up to 60 participants. A particular highlight was the panel discussion themed “AI and Science” that included panelists from both industry and academia. The audience could engage in an in-depth discussion of what AI changes in science ‒ and what remains untouched.


The Topics at a Glance


The first day started with presentations on the role of universities in coordinating scientific research as well as the impact of the working language in research institutions on attracting scientific talent. In the second session, presenters investigated the effects of different political shocks on scientists’ productivity as well as the ties between domestic and foreign scientists. The day continued with questions related to different ways of research funding, such as grant schemes and procurement measures. In the last session, presenters examined the search process of scientists as well as the impact of advisor relationships on individual careers.


As a tribute to the late Paul A. David, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, the first day concluded with a memorial session. Paul, who sadly passed away earlier this year, was not only a pivotal scholar in the economics of scientific progress and technical change, but an esteemed and long-standing member of the WOEPSR scientific committee. Many friends and family members attended the session, both in person and online, to share their personal memories.


In honor of Paul David’s contributions to this field, the “2023 WOEPSR Award in Memory of Paul A. David” was presented to Dror Shvadron for his work “Bread Upon the Waters: Corporate Science and the Benefits from Follow-on Public Research”. The award will be given annually to a young economist under the age of 40 or within less than 10 years of receiving a doctoral degree.


The second day began with two presentations on the benefits of publicly funded research. The final session of the workshop titled “AI in Science and Innovation” took up questions from the panel discussion. Presenters not only investigated how AI can act as a manager in science projects, but also showed how novel AI applications can be used to better measure two common concepts in the economics of science: the impact of science and the origin of ideas.


See the complete program with all topics here.


More information on the workshop website and further impressions on Twitter under #woepsr2023.


We thank all organizing parties involved as well as all participants, speakers and discussants for a truly exceptional and inspiring workshop and look forward to WOEPSR 2024 in Turin.

Miscellaneous  |  04/13/2023

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition Signs the Diversity Charter

The Max Planck Society and its Institutes are convinced: Diversity yields excellence. Against this background, the Institute has now signed the Diversity Charter Charta der Vielfalt to indicate to the public that top performance in research relies on talent, creativity and passion - not on gender, origin, religion, age, disability or sexual identity.

In March 2023, the Institute signed the Diversity Charter.
In March 2023, the Institute signed the Diversity Charter.

With this signing, the Institute wants to emphasize the importance of the values that also characterize the work of the Equal Opportunity Officers. You can find out more about this commitment on the Institute’s equal opportunities pages


Charta der Vielfalt e.V. is the largest employer initiative to promote diversity in companies and institutions in Germany. At the heart of the association is the “Charta der Vielfalt” (Diversity Charter), which was launched jointly by companies and politicians in 2006 to recognize and incorporate diversity in work culture. In January 2011, the activities were transferred to an association.


The goal of the initiative is a prejudice-free working environment and that all employees —  regardless of age, ethnic origin and nationality, gender and gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religion and world view, sexual orientation and social origin — are valued.