Issues

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) rights help creators limit who uses their work without giving value in return. This protection encourages innovation in thought and expression. Academics featured on this site research topics such as open source licensing, digital rights management, patent reform, IP and technical standards, trademarks, and trade secrets.

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TAP Blog

Recent Papers from TAP Scholars Delve into AI’s Impact on Tech-policy Issues

Introduction to several recent articles by TAP scholars that explore the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on gender equity, algorithmic decision-making, cost and rating collusion, free speech, and trade secrecy.

TAP Staff Blogger

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Fact Sheets

Patent Reform

A patent is an exclusive legal right to own and market an invention or improvement for a limited period of time, in exchange for public disclosure of the invention.

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Quote

Lofi Girl Disappeared from YouTube and Reignited Debate Over Bogus Copyright Claims

“We ended up with this system because in the 1990s, when the contours of the internet and copyright are still coming into view, this is the compromise that representatives of the copyright industries and the internet industries worked out.” — James Grimmelmann, Professor of Law, Cornell University

James Grimmelmann
NPR
July 16, 2022

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Featured Article

A Toolkit of Policies to Promote Innovation

Innovation is an important route to continued productivity growth in the United States. Tax credits for research and development (R&D) are among the best ways to spur innovation. Evidence as to whether the patent system promotes innovation is inconclusive.

By: Heidi Williams, John Van Reenen, Nicholas Bloom

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