Networks of Collaborative Contracts for Innovation (International Studies in the Theory of Private Law)

With the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, the companies that will succeed in the future are those who operate under a constant state of innovation. Not just that, they will often need to ensure that they pursue 'open innovation'.

This book explores the contractual basis for innovation, examining the legal challenges raised by contracts to innovate. Offering a dual perspective, it takes an empirical approach to examine how agreements are structured to overcome the inherent uncertainty implicit in innovative activity. It also presents a legal framework for contracts to innovate, based on the duty of loyalty to the contractual network, which could provide guidance to navigate the uncertainty of these relationships.

Hugh Collins is the Cassel Professor of Commercial Law at the London School of Economics, and Emeritus Vinerian Professor of English Law at the University of Oxford, UK. Previous books include Justice in Dismissal, Marxism and Law, Employment Law 2nd edn, Human Rights at Work (with Bogg, Davies, and Mantouvalou), Labour Law 3rd edn (with Ewing and McColgan), and Philosophical Foundations of Labour Law (ed with Lester and Mantouvalou).

Photo courtesy of Faculty of Law, University of Oxford.