Current research projects in the field of digitalization

The digital transformation of the economy and society is a rapid, both promising and challenging development, which raises many issues regarding new business models and their appropriate legal framework.

New technologies, in particular the use of algorithms and so-called “artificial intelligence”, making use of and generating extensive data portfolios, raise competition law concerns, such as algorithmic collusion or data-based market dominance.

In the area of intellectual property law, the development of artificial intelligence and self-learning algorithms is causing a profound shake-up of existing legal rules and fundamental concepts. For instance, it calls into question established notions of human creatorship/inventorship and of ownership assignment.

Finally, there are numerous areas of overlap, such as digitalization in the health care sector or the increasing establishment of platform markets and the associated network effects, in which intellectual property and competition law ought to converge and an expansion of research into further areas, such as data (protection) law, is indispensable.

Further information on current research projects can be found in the sections:

Digital Health

Intellectual Property Law

Competition Law