About Us
The Institute for Information Law & Policy
“The freedom of mind which befits the members of a self-governing society is not a given and fixed part of human nature. It can be increased and established by learning, by teaching, by the unhindered flow of accurate information, by giving men health and vigor and security, by bringing them together in activities of communication and mutual understanding.”
Alexander Meiklejohn, Free Speech and its Relation to Self-Government
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.
The Institute is, above all, a "do tank," where lawyers
innovate, harnessing the new tools of information and communications to
the goals of social justice. This mission is premised on the notion that
both software code and legal code shape human relations. Like law,
technology, too, determines how we communicate and share information,
which, in turn, defines our culture. Therefore the research and pedagogy
of the Institute train students in the text-based tools of the law and the
graphical tools of media and technology
The Institute is a center for civic innovation as well as policy analysis
and legal theory development. Our curriculum includes several
"design" courses that teach new lawyers to create video, audio
and software innovations in addition to wielding the tools of legal
reasoning and rhetoric to solve problems. The Institute’s constant
contact with “hands on” projects assures that the theoretical
work of the faculty remains relevant to real world challenges.
Students affiliated with the Institute (Harlan Scholars and Institute
Student Fellows) pursue a specialized and rigorous course of study, which
thoroughly grounds them in intellectual property, information and
technology law. Working closely with Institute faculty, Harlan Scholars
also pursue advanced research and design projects aimed at bringing about
real-world change through legal scholarship and/or media and software
innovation.
Students run the Institute's interdisciplinary conferences and events,
where new ideas are generated that translate into real-world innovation.
The Institute takes full advantage of its New York location to convene
people across disciplines and institutions in pursuit of its goals and to
expose students to the best of the legal, technology and design
communities.
The Institute consciously aims to create a 'hot spot' for innovation--
taking an approach unlike that of any other law school. The Institute
prepares students for new opportunities in industry, media, technology,
government, civic and policy organizations and the legal profession.
Affiliations
The Center for Patent Innovations
The Center for Patent Innovations is associated with both the Institute for Information Law & Policy and the Do Tank. The Center designs and develops projects harnessing Web-based collaborative tools for the sole purpose of improving patent systems, both in the United States and around the world.
