Chicago-Kent College of Law’s new Center for Design, Law and Technology (cDELTA or c∆) celebrated its launch on February 21 with a public lecture by Graeme Dinwoodie on “The Future of Design Copyright after Star Athletica?,” followed by a reply from Notre Dame law professor Mark McKenna, a research affiliate of the new center.

Founded by Dinwoodie and Edward Lee, director of Chicago-Kent’s Program in Intellectual Property Law, the new center will promote research, scholarship and instruction at the intersection of design, creativity, technology and the law.

“The center is the first of its kind in the country,” said Lee. “Design is on the minds of everyone, not just designers and businesses, but now also lawyers. Delta means change. Our mission at c∆  is to bring together in Chicago experts in design, business and the law from around the world, to better understand the changes and challenges in design they face today.”

Research will address legal protections of design in the United States and internationally, creativity and innovation in design, and design thinking and problem solving. The center will host talks, workshops and conferences and, in tandem with the Chicago-Kent Center for Empirical Research of Intellectual Property, confer grants to fund research related to innovation and creativity.

Future events include a Monday, March 19 lecture on “Intelligent Design” by University of Chicago law professor Jonathan Masur and Cardozo School of Law professor Christopher Buccafusco, a Thursday, March 22 book discussion by University of San Diego law professor Orly Lobel, author of You Don’t Own Me: How Mattel v. MGA Entertainment Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side, and a Wednesday, April 11 book talk by attorney Christopher Carani, author of Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection.