The Centre for Innovation and Intellectual Property (IP)2 considers the legal aspects of innovation from three main angles: the right to intellectual property, commercial law, and tax law. The centre examines the role of IP in the development of innovation and transfer of knowledge and technology via a holistic and multidisciplinary approach.  In collaboration with the Institute of Health Law (IDS), the centre also studies biotechnology.  The centre also works with specialists in labor law and migration with the intention of including all aspects of life in society.  In addition to its research activities, the (PI)2 will launch a first inter-faculty Master in innovation in 2015.  The centre also organizes many seminars, including "Days of Innovation Law" and symposia on tax law.

Knowledge and technology transfer

This group focuses on a variety of research areas: the way immaterial goods are handled with regard to capital protection laws; the admissibility of hyperlinks in copyright law; the use of open source libraries in proprietary software and the analysis of knowledge and technology transfer from higher education institutions to industry within the legal framework of Switzerland.

Further information:

• Prof. Nathalie Tissot
• Pôle de propriété intellectuelle et de l'innovation

Copyright

Copyright law is the main axis of research of this group, led by Prof. Vincent Salvadé. The group does research in the areas of intellectual property and new technology, in particular pertaining to questions of internet piracy, domain names and the creation of derivative works in music via new technical processes.

Further information:

• Prof. Vincent Salvadé
• Pôle de propriété intellectuelle et de l'innovation

International intellectual property

This group studies the development of intellectual property law at the international level, and in particular the balance between stimulating innovation and enabling access to it. The group is interested in the protection of and access to genetic resources and in the incitement for innovation in the pharmaceutical domain, as well as in the access to pharmaceutical products, for example in the context of a business secret. In this research area, the group recently completed a project of the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) called Access to pharmaceuticals, within which the University of Neuchâtel was in charge of the work package N°3 on obligatory licenses.

Further information:

• Prof. Daniel Kraus
• Pôle de propriété intellectuelle et de l'innovation
• Projet Access to pharmaceuticals

Commercial law

Issues of commercial law are studied by prof. Olivier Hari’s group. This research group focuses on the elements of fiscal law needed for the healthy development of an innovative SME.

Further information:

• Prof. Olivier Hari
• Chaire de droit des sociétés