Institute of Law and Technology
The Institute of Law and Technology (IRuT) was founded on May 14, 1991. From its inception until September 30, 2016, Prof. Dr. Klaus Vieweg served as the Director of the Institute and simultaneously held the newly established “Chair of Civil Law, Legal Informatics, and Data Protection,” which was renamed on August 8, 2002, to “Chair of Civil Law, Legal Informatics, Technology, and Business Law.”
Since November 1, 2016, Prof. Dr. Franz Hofmann has been overseeing the Institute. Due to a shift in research focus, the chair associated with the Institute was renamed to “Chair of Civil Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Technology Law.”
The Institute’s focus is illustrated by its logo: the “gear” represents classical technologies, while the binary code symbolizes new information technologies. The green color represents the “green area” – intellectual property law. The green gear made up of “bits” and “bytes” also symbolizes the digital transformation that the law, especially intellectual property law, must accompany.
As a part of the Faculty of Law and Economics at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, the Institute for Law and Technology plays an important bridging role to the local Faculty of Engineering. With research activities and collaborations on both national and international levels, its impact extends far beyond Erlangen.
The Institute of Law and Technology (IRuT) was founded on May 14, 1991. From its inception until September 30, 2016, Prof. Dr. Klaus Vieweg served as the Director of the Institute and simultaneously held the newly established “Chair of Civil Law, Legal Informatics, and Data Protection,” which was renamed on August 8, 2002, to “Chair of Civil Law, Legal Informatics, Technology, and Business Law.”