2006 Mid-Year Meeting

Workshop on Intellectual Property
June 14-16, 2006
Vancouver, British Columbia

Why Attend?
Intellectual property has expanded greatly over the last 10 years. During the last century, relatively few scholars worked regularly in the field, and many law schools offered only a single course in the area. By contrast, intellectual property now commands the attention of many scholars who write some of the most vibrant scholarship in the legal academy, and law schools struggle to meet student demand for intellectual property courses.

The rapid growth of intellectual property gives scholars the challenge of staying current in the field. New ideas and new thinkers continually emerge, and it is important for scholars to gather to meet each other and exchange ideas. Those who teach in the area must also keep up with new intellectual property courses, the integration of intellectual property into law school curricula, and the growth of intellectual property programs and clinics.

This Workshop offers those who teach and study intellectual property an opportunity to reflect on where the field has been and where it will go. First, the Workshop will address a number of broad perspectives important to intellectual property, including the influence of constitutional law on intellectual property, the challenge of regulating and encouraging competition, and the politics of intellectual property. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss these themes in plenary sessions, small group discussions, and individual paper presentations. These sessions will also raise important connections to related fields and disciplines such as economics, torts, contracts, antitrust, property, and international law. Second, the Workshop will explore these themes in the context of specific disciplines within intellectual property. Third, the Workshop will introduce new ideas and speakers to the academic community through a call for papers and open sessions proposed by Workshop attendees. Fourth, the Workshop will devote substantial time to the teaching of intellectual property.

Please join us in Vancouver, British Columbia for what promises to be an exciting and stimulating Workshop. We are confident that all who are interested in intellectual property will enjoy the conversation with old and new professional colleagues.

~ Planning Committee for AALS Workshop on Intellectual Property
Keith Aoki, University of Oregon
Mark D. Janis, University of Iowa
Roberta Rosenthal Kwall, DePaul University
Alfred Chueh-Chin Yen, Boston College, Chair

Who Should Attend?
Teachers of antitrust, constitutional law, law and economics, law and science, intellectual property will find this workshop of interest.

When is this Workshop?
The workshop will begin on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, with registration starting at 1:45 p.m., followed by two and half days of plenary sessions and small group discussions. The workshop will conclude at 2:45 m. on Friday, June 16, 2006. In addition to the program sessions, a reception will be held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and luncheons will be held on Thursday and Friday.

Child Care
Child care can be arranged through the hotel concierge. Neither the hotel nor AALS recommends these services but provides this information for your reference.