2021—2022

Axel Metzger

Law, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Axel Metzger has been professor of Civil Law and Intellectual Property Law since 2014, in particular Industrial Property Rights at the Faculty of Law of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
From 2017 – 2019 he was founding director of the the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society and held a professorship at Leibniz University Hannover from 2008-2014. He regularly participates as an expert in hearings of the German Bundestag, various ministries and EU institutions on reform projects in copyright and patent law and on legal issues of digitization.

His research focuses on intellectual property law, both in the classic areas of “intellectual property” – copyright and patent law – and in newer manifestations, such as the legal protection of biotechnological innovations or data. He conducts interdisciplinary research with a special focus on international issues relating to legal protection and the regulation of innovations.

In his research project at HIAS, Axel Metzger investigates the legal and economic conditions of data markets. A special focus is on the disclosure of personal data by consumers in the context of digital services. Despite the restrictive rules of data protection law, consumers enter digital markets every day, where they disclose their data and in return benefit from the content and services offered. During his research project, Metzger examines the necessary legal framework for such a market model for data.

His collaboration partner is Prof. Florian Faust, academic director of the Center of Legal Learning and chair of Civil Law IV – Civil Law, Commercial Law and Comparative Law at Bucerius Law School.

Axel Metzger’s HIAS Fellowship is funded by the Joachim Herz Foundation.

Website

Axel Metzger

Funding

Joachim Herz Stiftung

Tandem

Prof. Dr. Florian Faust, Academic director of the Center of Legal Learning and chair of Civil Law IV – Civil Law, Commercial Law and Comparative Law at Bucerius Law School

Bildinformation

Matrix, The Matrix – Screenshot of the famous GLMatrix screensaver, © 1999-2003 by Jamie Zawinski.

Portrait of Adam Smith, available through Harvard University’s Visual Information Access (VIA) system, Vanderblue Collection

Publication in the Fellow Library