Law and innovation: chronicle of a marriage foretold
Electronics engineers and lawyers working hand in hand: this is the pioneering approach implemented by the Institute of Electronics and Systems (IES) and the "Dynamics of Law" laboratory at the University of Montpellier.
The smart city? It's a topic that's increasingly being discussed. Alain Foucaran is not the last to mention the concept; this is hardly surprising for the director of an electronics institute whose mission is to invent key innovations for the modern city. A city "packed with sensors, "he says: "managing water, energy, health, security issues, population flows... In all these areas and many others, the objects designed by the IES provide concrete solutions."
“Any innovation can encounter obstacles.”
Objects that are both intelligent and autonomous, designed to meet emerging needs... But which can pose unprecedented problems. For example: what do we do with data that concerns us? Should I allow myself to be "geolocated"? Bugs on bank cards, infringements of freedoms, data ownership, cybercrime... The list of potential harm that our wonderful electronic servants could cause is long. "Any innovation can encounter obstacles,"sums up Alain Foucaran. But while in the past we were content to resolve disputes as they arose, today we would like to anticipate in advance what kind of backlash we might face. This is an area in which electronics engineers admit their limitations...
Anticipating societal obstacles
For the past year, the IES has been working with a laboratory specializing in a very different field: the "Dynamics of Law" research unit led by Éric de Mari, professor at the University of Montpellier. The aim is to explore the legal implications of technical innovations in order to avoid litigation. "When difficulties arise, the individuals or organizations that have been harmed invariably turn against the company that developed the technology in question, "says Éric de Mari. Consulted downstream on patents and copyright protection, UM experts are also assigned a genuine forward-looking mission upstream: it is up to them to anticipate future obstacles.
This is a role that suits them well, continues Éric de Mari, who welcomes the already fruitful cooperation with the IES. "We often think of law as an auxiliary that is there to keep order. But this discipline also drives innovation. In a constantly changing society, the rules of living together are constantly being reinvented. It is up to us to explore this creative dimension of law."