Institut für Rechtsinformatik (IRI)

What Institut für Rechtsinformatik (IRI) does

The Institut für Rechtsinformatik (IRI) is an academic research and teaching institute at Leibniz University Hannover's Faculty of Law, operating as a government-state entity under the auspices of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. Founded in 1983, IRI focuses on intellectual property law, IT law, data protection law, AI regulation, and digitalization law. The institute comprises five named professors (with credentials from Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge) plus more than 50 additional researchers and staff, delivering specialized legal education through its LL.B. in IT and IP Law (since winter semester 2011/12), LL.M. in IT and IP Law (one of Germany's oldest such programs, since winter semester 1999/2000 under the EULISP framework), and Schwerpunktbereich 7 specialization for Staatsexamen candidates. Its research arm includes the Kompetenzzentrum eSport (Ke§H, founded winter semester 2021/22) addressing esports and gaming law.

IRI's core technology is legal scholarship itself, disseminated through monthly ZD-Aktuell and MMR-Aktuell news services (since 2010), the GRUR Patent journal (launched June 2023 with C.H.Beck post-Unified Patent Court), and collaborations with publishers Nomos and C.H.Beck. The institute also houses the FODAHEMM project (Freedom of Research vs. Data Protection) and participates in EU-funded MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS research programs. Revenue is generated through public university funding, state government grants (Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture), and EU/DGF third-party research funding; no commercial revenue, licensing, or tuition income is disclosed. Distribution is event-driven and academic: university enrollment processes for educational programs, academic conferences and workshops, scholarly publications, and professional association partnerships (GRUR, Bundesverband Deutscher Patentanwälte, Esport Verband Niedersachsen, Bucerius Law School).

Name

Institut für Rechtsinformatik (IRI)

Legal name

Institut für Rechtsinformatik (IRI)

Website

https://iri.uni-hannover.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institut für Rechtsinformatik (IRI) is a public academic research institute at Leibniz University Hannover's Faculty of Law, specializing in IT, IP, data protection, and AI regulation law. It serves law students through specialized LL.B. and LL.M. programs and conducts research through the Kompetenzzentrum eSport (Ke§H) and journal publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education and Research

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Law & Legal Studies (EDAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance & Risk Intelligence Publishing (KYC/AML, ESG, Cyber, Privacy) (MPAJACAC), Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

Keywords

• Legal informatics research
• IT law education
• Intellectual property law
• Data protection research
• Academic legal publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Public University Funding: As a research institute at Leibniz University Hannover, the institute receives public funding through the university system for teaching and research activities
2. Research Grants and Third-Party Funding: The institute secures third-party research funding from sources including EU programs (MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS), German Research Foundation (DFG), Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture, and other public funding bodies

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IRI is a public academic research and teaching institute that delivers specialized higher-education programmes (LL.B., LL.M., Schwerpunktbereich 7) in IT law and intellectual property law, conducts interdisciplinary legal research on data protection, AI regulation, IP, and digitalization, and publishes monthly news services and journals (ZD-Aktuell, MMR-Aktuell, GRUR Patent). It also operates the Kompetenzzentrum eSport (Ke§H) as a dedicated competence center for gaming and esports law.

Product overview

The Institute for Legal Informatics (IRI) at Leibniz University Hannover is an academic research and teaching institute, not a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of academic degree programmes, research services, and scholarly publications. The core educational products include a Bachelor's programme (LL.B. IT and IP Law), a Master's programme (LL.M. IT and IP Law), a specialization area (Schwerpunktbereich 7), and a summer school (IN SITU). Research output is disseminated through the ZD-Aktuell and MMR-Aktuell news services and the GRUR Patent journal. The institute also houses the Kompetenzzentrum eSport (Ke§H), a dedicated competence center for esports law and society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kompetenzzentrum eSport (Ke§H): Competence center dedicated to legal and societal aspects of esports, including research on gaming regulations, lootboxes, and digital sports law
• EULISP
• GRUR Patent

Products and services

• LL.B. IT- und IP-Recht (IT and IP Law Bachelor's Programme) Bachelor's degree programme in Information Technology Law and Intellectual Property Law offered by the Institute of Legal Informatics in cooperation with the Faculty of Law at Leibniz University Hannover.
• LL.M. IT- und IP-Recht (IT and IP Law Master's Programme) Postgraduate Master's programme in IT Law and Intellectual Property Law, one of the oldest in its field in Germany, offered under the EULISP international framework.
• Schwerpunktbereich 7 (IT Law and IP Law Specialization) Specialization area within the German state examination programme focusing on IT and intellectual property law, offered with participation of the Institute.
• ZD-Aktuell und MMR-Aktuell Monthly news services contributing to the Journal for Data Protection (ZD-Aktuell) and the Journal for IT Law and Digitalization Law (MMR-Aktuell), published by Beck-Verlag, providing critical analysis of current data protection issues, technical and legal developments, and case law.
• GRUR Patent – Patentrecht in der Praxis Monthly patent law journal addressing German, European and international patent law, launched following the start of the Unified Patent Court on June 1, 2023.
• Kompetenzzentrum eSport (Ke§H) Competence Center for eSports at Leibniz University Hannover focusing on legal and socio-political questions related to gaming and esports, including data protection, youth protection, gambling law, and consumer protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of Germany's oldest specialized programs in IT and IP law (since 1999/2000)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Games Law Research Centre (FGR) at Bucerius Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Future closer cooperation announced between IRI (Prof. Seckelmann) and Bucerius Law School's Games Law Research Centre for joint research in gaming law.
• L3S Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024L3S at Leibniz University Hannover is a key research partner, collaborating on the MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS project and the TENACITy project regarding AI ethics and law.
• University of MaltaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024European partner institution in the MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS Staff Exchanges program coordinated by IRI.
• GRUR (Deutsche Vereinigung für gewerblichen Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023German Association for Intellectual Property and Copyright. Professor Dornis serves on the editorial board of GRUR Patent, the monthly patent law journal published by C.H.Beck following the launch of the Unified Patent Court.
• Bundesverband Deutscher PatentanwältecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023Federal Association of German Patent Attorneys co-publishing the GRUR Patent journal with GRUR and C.H.Beck.
• Nomos VerlagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishing partner for the 'Schriften des Kompetenzzentrums eSport der Leibniz Universität Hannover' book series. The volumes are published in print and digital formats.
• Esport Verband NiedersachsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level esports association in Lower Saxony, collaborating with Ke§H on research and expertise exchange regarding esports legal issues.
• University eSports HannoverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity-level esports organization partnering with Ke§H on research and student engagement.
• LexICT DatenschutzbeauftragungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData protection consultancy providing support for Ke§H events and contributing expertise on privacy law matters in esports.
• Gaming & eSports Law HSGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic group from University of St. Gallen focusing on gaming and esports law, collaborating on research and knowledge exchange.
• Melchers RechtsanwälteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm with a practice group for Gaming and Esports providing sponsorships and expertise for Ke§H events.
• Esport Innovation HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation hub focused on esports contributing to the Ke§H network and research collaboration.
• C.H. Beck VerlagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of GRUR Patent, ZD-Aktuell, MMR-Aktuell, and other institute publications.
• Institute of Sociology at LUHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institute on the FODAHEMM project ('Freedom of Research vs. Data Protection') investigating data protection implementation by researchers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bucerius Law School - Games Law Research Centre (FGR): German academic centre researching gaming and esports law, explicitly named by IRI as a future closer-cooperation partner. Comparable to Ke§H in addressing lootbox, gambling, and youth protection regulation in video games.
• Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam: One of Europe's most prominent academic centres for information law and AI regulation research. Directly comparable mission to IRI in combining graduate teaching, scholarly publishing, and policy-relevant research on IT, IP, and data protection law.
• Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition: Leading German research institute in intellectual property, competition, and technology law. Highly comparable to IRI in its academic research and publishing output on IP and digital law, though significantly larger in budget and standing.
• Center for Law and AI (CLAIM), LMU Munich: Academic center at LMU Munich focused on AI regulation and digital law. Overlaps directly with IRI's research focus on AI/copyright, EU AI Act, and digital transformation law, and competes for EU grant funding and policy influence in Germany.

Regional players

• Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP), Princeton: US-based interdisciplinary research centre analyzing technology law and policy. Comparable in academic research scope on digital regulation, though operating in a different legal jurisdiction (US) rather than competing directly with IRI in Germany.
• Center for Digital Law, Bucerius Law School / Universität St. Gallen: Academic partners such as the Gaming & eSports Law HSG at University of St. Gallen collaborate with Ke§H. They conduct comparable research on gaming and digital law in Switzerland, providing thematic peer alignment.

Broad incumbents

• Berkeley Center for Law and Technology (BCLT): Internationally established academic center covering IP, data privacy, and AI regulation. While much larger and broader than IRI, it provides a comparable reference model combining LL.M.-level teaching, scholarly publication, and industry/policy engagement.
• Stanford Law School - Center for Internet and Society: Influential US academic center addressing law and technology; while geographically and structurally different, it provides a benchmark for academic IT-law research output and policy impact comparable to IRI's research model.

Others

• L3S Research Centre, Leibniz University Hannover: Domestic research partner collaborating on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and TENACITy project on AI ethics and law. While not a peer law institute, it is a closely coupled technology research partner within the same university, shaping IRI's AI law research direction.

Emerging players

• Forschungszentrum Informatik (FZI) - Legal Tech Research: Karlsruhe-based research centre conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of law and technology. Comparable academic-research focus on IT law topics, though not a law-faculty institute.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iri-hannover

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institut für Rechtsinformatik (IRI)