National Center for Technology and Law sponsors, co-sponsors, or supports a variety of conferences and panel discussions on high-tech policy controversies in conjunction with local technology companies, law firms, and public policy groups.
Previous Events: 2004-2005
Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC)
September 23-25, 2005
Arlington, Virginia
The National Center for Technology and Law is co-sponsoring the 33rd Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC), which focuses on "Communication, Information and Internet Policy." Topics covered in the conference include the European Union’s Communications Regulatory Framework, the Future of File Sharing after Grokster and several other hot topics on emerging intellectual property and telecommunications issues. Information about previous TPRC conferences and activities is available at the TPRC web site.
Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC)
October 1-3, 2004
Arlington, Virginia
The National Center for Technology and Law sponsored the 32nd Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC), which focused on "Communication, Information and Internet Policy." Speakers included prominent scholars and practitioners from a variety of fields including computer science, law, economics, and public policy.
Property Rights on the Frontier: A Symposium on Self-Help in Cyberspace
September 10, 2004
Arlington, Virginia
The Critical Infrastructure Protection Program (CIPP) sponsored this conference, which explored current issues concerning self-help and self-defense in cyberspace from various perspectives including a reflection of the legal and economic history of self-help and how this has shaped the current environment, the effect various legislation has had or will have on self-help measures, a comparison and contrasting of property with cyberspace, an examination into the feasibility of self-help, and an examination of the social costs of deploying digital rights management systems to protect copyrighted content.
The Law and Economics of Cyber Security
June 11, 2004
Arlington, Virginia
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project hosted this conference, which featured presentations that applied the theoretical tools of law and economics to the vexing problem of cyber security. Speakers included prominent academics such as Yochai Benkler of Yale University, Jack Goldsmith of the University of Virginia, and Eric Posner of the University of Chicago. Topics included "Internet Jurisdiction over Crime and Terrorism" and "The Dark Side of Private Ordering for Cybersecurity."
Information Technology for Homeland Security Symposium
May 18, 2004
Fairfax, Virginia
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project sponsored this symposium presented by George Mason's School of Information Technology and Engineering. The keynote address was delivered by Hun Kim, Deputy Director for Policy and Strategic Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security.
Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore Speaks on Technology and the Law
April 7, 2004
Arlington, Virginia
Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore addressed a gathering of faculty,
students, and community leaders at the George Mason University School of
Law on the subject of technology and law. In a wide-ranging talk,
the Attorney General discussed a variety of initiatives in his office designed
to combat spam, identity theft, child pornography, and other crimes made
possible by new and emerging technologies. Prior to being elected
to his current office, Attorney General Kilgore was both a state and federal
prosecutor, and he was Secretary of Public Safety under Virginia Governor
George Allen. He earned his law degree from William & Mary.
Policyware: Economic and Security Considerations in Developing Federal
Policy for Open Source and Proprietary Software
March 19, 2004
Arlington, Virginia
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project hosted this reception, which announced the release of a new study "Policyware: Economic and Security Considerations in Developing Federal Policy for Open Source and Proprietary Software." The reception was held at the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.
Foreign Investment in U.S. Critical Infrastructure
March 12, 2004
Arlington, Virginia
Covington & Burling and The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project co-sponsored this conference, which examined the legal, policy, and economic implications of foreign investment in U.S. critical infrastructure. The conference was held at the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.
Critical Information Infrastructure Protection: Issues and Perspectives
March 11, 2004
Washington, D.C.
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project, the Swiss Embassy, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology co-sponsored this reception, which celebrated the publication of the 2004 International Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Handbook. Speakers included Myriam Dunn and Isabelle Wigert, authors of the Handbook, and Paul Kurtz, former Special Assistant to the President for Critical Infrastructure Protection.
Previous Events: 2003
Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC)
September 19-21, 2003
Arlington, Virginia
The Tech Center co-sponsored the 31st Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC), entitled "Communication, Information and Internet Policy." Speakers included prominent scholars and practitioners from a variety of fields including computer science, law, economics, and public policy. Topics include "Broadband Policy," "Internet Interconnection and Telecom Access," "Internet Regulatory Approaches," "Issues in Wireless Communications," and "Consolidation and Competition." Information about previous TPRC conferences and activities is available at the TPRC web site.
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers: Defining the Business Case
August 11, 2003
Arlington, Virginia
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project convened this symposium to explore business case challenges for Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs). The one-day meeting involved each of the nation's ISAC organizations as well as others instrumental in designing ISAC models and operations. Participants included representatives from the public and private sectors as well as select members of academia with backgrounds in economics and business modeling.
Protecting America's Critical Infrastructure: From War Room to Board Room
June 18, 2003
Washington, D.C.
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project hosted this panel discussion at the National Press Club on the priorities, costs, and responsibilities for protecting America's critical infrastructure. The panelists were Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security, Department of Homeland Security; Congressman Christopher Cox, Chairman, House Select Committee on Homeland Security; Congressman Jim Turner, House Select Committee on Homeland Security; John Hager, Assistant to the Governor of Virginia for Commonwealth Preparedness; John Derrick Jr., Chairman and Former Chief Executive Officer, Pepco Holdings, Inc.; Catherine Allen, Chief Executive Officer, BITS (the Technology Group for the Financial Services Roundtable). CIP Project Senior Fellow Frank Sesno moderated the discussion.
Promoting Markets in Creativity: Copyright in the Internet Age
June 10, 2003
Washington, D.C.
The Tech Center and The Progress & Freedom Foundation co-sponsored this conference on the law and economics of copyright. Topics included "Natural Rights and Copyrights," "Alternatives to Markets: Compulsory Licenses and Other Schemes," and "Views from the Tech World and Other Reservations." The keynote speaker was The Honorable Lamar Smith, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. The main presenters were Richard Epstein, The University of Chicago; Edmund Kitch, the University of Virginia; Scott Kieff, Washington University; Stanley Liebowitz, the University of Texas; James Burger, Dow, Lohnes & Albertson; and Michael Godwin, Public Knowledge. Commenters included George Mason professors Michael Abramowicz and Bruce Kobayashi.
Critical Infrastructure Protection: Legal Questions at the Forefront of
National Security
May 9, 2003
Arlington, Virginia
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project hosted this symposium, which focused on some of the most important legal issues surrounding critical infrastructure protection and national security. Panel topics included "Terrorists and Tribunals," "Cybersecurity and Self-Help," and "Limits on Government Response to Terrorism." Speakers included Amitai Etzioni, author of The Limits of Privacy; Major General John Altenburg, former Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Army; David Scheffer, United Nations Association; Tom Edgar, ACLU; Lawrence Greenberg, The Motley Fool; and Trotter Hardy, William & Mary.
Open-Source and Proprietary Software: Models and Issues for National and
Economic Security
March 28, 2003
Arlington, Virginia
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project hosted this symposium, which focused on the security implications of different software development models. The symposium also addressed the intellectual property framework within which software is licensed and distributed. Speakers included representatives of the CERT Coordination Center, Wind River Systems, IBM, The Progress & Freedom Foundation, the Business Software Alliance, MITRE, the Initiative for Software Choice, and the George Mason University School of Law.
Information Sharing and Antitrust: Identifying Issues, Creating Solutions
January 30, 2003
Arlington, Virginia
The Tech Center's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project hosted this symposium, which focused on the impediments posed by antitrust laws to the creation and operation of Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs). Speakers included John Tritak, former Director of the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office; Steven Chabinsky, Assistant General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Alden Abbott, Assistant Director for Policy and Evaluation at the Federal Trade Commission; and Dean Mark Grady and Distinguished Visiting Professor John Marsh of the George Mason University School of Law.