Sixth Annual Conference on Innovation and Communications Law (CICL)

The Sixth Annual Conference on Innovation and Communications Law (CICL) will be held in Leeds on 2 and 3 July, 2014.

CICL—a joint venture involving the University of Turku (Finland), the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Louisville (USA), Michigan State University (USA), and Drake University (USA)—explores legal issues involving intellectual property law, communications law, and other issues related to these areas or the intersection of the two. Information on the conference including registration is available here.

Day Two (3 July) will involve a workshop dealing with a particular subtheme, namely, the implications of convergence of digital and biological technologies. Molecular biology is sometimes treated as a branch of information technology. Digital technologies are increasingly being used in the production, analysis and application of molecular biological data, and are considered capable of enabling a full comprehension of how cellular processes work, and can be manipulated. Sub-cellular structural and functional elements are also increasingly described in terms of information and computer science analogies and definitions. This paradigm is drastically changing scientific and commercial practices in the life sciences in ways that remain to be comprehensively and critically analysed in terms of law, regulation and policy. Within this rather broad theme we welcome papers from any discipline. 

The conference is being organized by the University of Louisville. However, we at Leeds are putting together the Day 2 workshop on bio-and digital technology convergence and the legal and regulatory implications. The emphasis is on interdisciplinarity. If you would like to participate, whether by presenting a paper or contributing to a panel discussion, please do let us know by May 25 at the latest. Please also address any queries you might have on the workshop to this email address.