Institute for Information Law and Policy

The Institute for Information Law and Policy is New York Law School's home for the study of law, technology and civil liberties. Participants in the Institute aim not only to understand the interplay of law and technology but to influence its development. The Institute develops and applies theories of information and communication to analyze law and policy. It also seeks to design new technologies and systems that will best serve democratic values in the digital age.

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Institute Blog

2009/10 Student Research Fellowship Application Deadline Extended!
The application deadline for the 2009/10 Student Research Fellowship has been extended to June 12, 2009. Applications should be emailed to Ms. Naomi Allen at naomi.allen@nyls.edu or dropped off at the Institute Office, 40 Worth, Suite 706. Details regarding the Application/Selection process can be found on the IILP's "Employment Opportunities" page.
2009/10 Student Research Fellowship Application Deadline Extended!
The application deadline for the 2009/10 Student Research Fellowship has been extended to June 12, 2009. Applications should be emailed to Ms. Naomi Allen at naomi.allen@nyls.edu or dropped off at the Institute Office, 40 Worth, Suite 706. Details regarding the Application/Selection process can be found on the IILP's "Employment Opportunities" page.
Announcing the 2009/10 Student Research Fellowship
The Institute for Information Law & Policy at New York Law School will select one student to become a Student Research Fellow at the Institute for the coming year. The Institute will reward an outstanding student for their commitment to and interest in intellectual property, technology and information law with this paid position and an opportunity to contribute to the field. Student Research Fellows play a central role in managing and shaping the Institute and its programs. They help organize events and symposia, such as the "State of Play", "Amateur Hour" and "IP Activism" conferences; they work on social justice technology design initiatives, such as Peer-to-Patent and the Public Index; they plan student events, such as the "IP Surprise" Lecture Series; and work closely with members of the Institute faculty on research and publishing projects. In addition, Fellows manage the Institute website and weblogs, and will be instrumental in the development of new Institute communication efforts.
Details regarding the Application/Selection process can be found on the IILP's "Employment Opportunities" page.
Please note, all application materials are due by May 31, 2009.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Announcing the 2009/10 Student Research Fellowship
The Institute for Information Law & Policy at New York Law School will select one student to become a Student Research Fellow at the Institute for the coming year. The Institute will reward an outstanding student for their commitment to and interest in intellectual property, technology and information law with this paid position and an opportunity to contribute to the field. Student Research Fellows play a central role in managing and shaping the Institute and its programs. They help organize events and symposia, such as the "State of Play", "Amateur Hour" and "IP Activism" conferences; they work on social justice technology design initiatives, such as Peer-to-Patent and the Public Index; they plan student events, such as the "IP Surprise" Lecture Series; and work closely with members of the Institute faculty on research and publishing projects. In addition, Fellows manage the Institute website and weblogs, and will be instrumental in the development of new Institute communication efforts.
Details regarding the Application/Selection process can be found on the IILP's "Employment Opportunities" page.
Please note, all application materials are due by May 31, 2009.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Farewell to Prof. David Johnson
Prof. David Johnson has departed the IILP to join the Center for Democracy & Technology. We're delighted for him in this new adventure, but are terribly sad to see him go. Our farewell to him can be found here.

Best wishes David, and hurry back.
Farewell to Prof. David Johnson
Prof. David Johnson has departed the IILP to join the Center for Democracy & Technology. We're delighted for him in this new adventure, but are terribly sad to see him go. Our farewell to him can be found here.

Best wishes David, and hurry back.
IILP Book Announcements
The Institute for Information Law & Policy is pleased to announce the forthcoming publications by two members of our faculty.
Wiki Government: How Technology Can Make Government Better, Democracy Stronger, and Citizens More Powerful
By Beth Simone Noveck
Book Description, from Amazon:
Wiki Government shows how to bring innovation to government. In explaining how to enhance political institutions with the power of networks, it offers a fundamental rethinking of democracy in the digital age. Collaborative democracy-government of the people, by the people, for the people-is an old dream. Today, Wiki Government shows how technology can make that dream a reality. In this thought-provoking book, Beth Simone Noveck illustrates how collaborative democracy strengthens public decisionmaking by connecting the power of the many to the work of the few. Equally important, she provides a step-by-step demonstration of how collaborative democracy can be designed, opening policymaking to greater participation. "Wiki Government" tells the story behind one of the most dramatic public sector innovations in recent years - inviting the public to participate in the patent examination process. Patent examiners usually work in secret, cut off from essential information and racing against the clock to master arcane technical claims. The Peer-to-Patent project radically transformed this process by allowing anyone with Internet access to collaborate with the agency in reviewing patent applications. "Wiki Government" describes how a far-flung team of technologists, lawyers, and policymakers pried open a tradition-bound agency's doors. Noveck explains how she brought both fiercely competitive companies and risk-averse bureaucrats on board. She discusses the design challenges the team faced in creating software to distill online collaboration into useful expertise, not just rants or raves. And she explains how law, policy, and technology can be revamped to help government work in more open and participatory ways in a wide range of policy arenas, including education and the environment.

A Documentary Companion to Storming the Court
By Brandt Goldstein, Rodger Citron, and Molly Beutz Land
Book Description, from Aspen Publishers:
A Documentary Companion to Storming the Court, using key litigation documents, leads the reader through the high-profile lawsuit chronicled in Storming the Court, a nonfiction title by Brandt Goldstein that tracks the lawsuit filed by human rights lawyers and Yale law students on behalf of Haitian refugees detained at the American Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Following in the tradition of books such as The Buffalo Creek Disaster and A Civil Action, Storming the Court is an engaging, easy-to-read account of a complex civil trial in which law students play many of the key roles.
IILP Book Announcements
The Institute for Information Law & Policy is pleased to announce the forthcoming publications by two members of our faculty.
Wiki Government: How Technology Can Make Government Better, Democracy Stronger, and Citizens More Powerful
By Beth Simone Noveck
Book Description, from Amazon:
Wiki Government shows how to bring innovation to government. In explaining how to enhance political institutions with the power of networks, it offers a fundamental rethinking of democracy in the digital age. Collaborative democracy-government of the people, by the people, for the people-is an old dream. Today, Wiki Government shows how technology can make that dream a reality. In this thought-provoking book, Beth Simone Noveck illustrates how collaborative democracy strengthens public decisionmaking by connecting the power of the many to the work of the few. Equally important, she provides a step-by-step demonstration of how collaborative democracy can be designed, opening policymaking to greater participation. "Wiki Government" tells the story behind one of the most dramatic public sector innovations in recent years - inviting the public to participate in the patent examination process. Patent examiners usually work in secret, cut off from essential information and racing against the clock to master arcane technical claims. The Peer-to-Patent project radically transformed this process by allowing anyone with Internet access to collaborate with the agency in reviewing patent applications. "Wiki Government" describes how a far-flung team of technologists, lawyers, and policymakers pried open a tradition-bound agency's doors. Noveck explains how she brought both fiercely competitive companies and risk-averse bureaucrats on board. She discusses the design challenges the team faced in creating software to distill online collaboration into useful expertise, not just rants or raves. And she explains how law, policy, and technology can be revamped to help government work in more open and participatory ways in a wide range of policy arenas, including education and the environment.

A Documentary Companion to Storming the Court
By Brandt Goldstein, Rodger Citron, and Molly Beutz Land
Book Description, from Aspen Publishers:
A Documentary Companion to Storming the Court, using key litigation documents, leads the reader through the high-profile lawsuit chronicled in Storming the Court, a nonfiction title by Brandt Goldstein that tracks the lawsuit filed by human rights lawyers and Yale law students on behalf of Haitian refugees detained at the American Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Following in the tradition of books such as The Buffalo Creek Disaster and A Civil Action, Storming the Court is an engaging, easy-to-read account of a complex civil trial in which law students play many of the key roles.
Prof. David Johnson on ICANN and Internet Governance
On April 24, 2009, Professor David Johnson will participate in "ICANN & Internet Governance: How Did We Get Here & Where Are We Heading?" a Congressional Seminar hosted by The Progress & Freedom Foundation in Washington, DC.
As part of an expert panel, Professor Johnson will discuss the history and evolution of ICANN and debate such topics as the proposal for new top level domains, domain name system security, and ICANN's future after the expiration of its Joint Project Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding with the Commerce Department.

Event details and registration information can be found on PFF's site, here.
Prof. David Johnson on ICANN and Internet Governance
On April 24, 2009, Professor David Johnson will participate in "ICANN & Internet Governance: How Did We Get Here & Where Are We Heading?" a Congressional Seminar hosted by The Progress & Freedom Foundation in Washington, DC.
As part of an expert panel, Professor Johnson will discuss the history and evolution of ICANN and debate such topics as the proposal for new top level domains, domain name system security, and ICANN's future after the expiration of its Joint Project Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding with the Commerce Department.

Event details and registration information can be found on PFF's site, here.