James Bessen

James Bessen is a Lecturer and Executive Director of the Technology & Policy Research Initiative at Boston University School of Law. He is also the Director and Founder of Research on Innovation. With an AB from Harvard College, Bessen bridges the fields of economics and law, focusing particularly on intellectual property, technology policy, and the economic impacts of software and automation.

His research interests span several key areas:

• Economics of software and its impact on industry concentration
• Intellectual property systems and patent policy
• Effects of automation and AI on employment, wages, and economic inequality
• Technology policy and regulation
• Historical perspectives on innovation and knowledge sharing

Bessen's scholarly work reveals consistent trends across his recent publications. He examines how large corporations leverage proprietary software systems to increase market dominance, potentially slowing innovation and exacerbating economic inequality. His research on automation provides nuanced insights, challenging simplistic narratives about job displacement by showing how technology often creates new opportunities while transforming existing roles. Bessen's work on patent systems has been particularly influential, with his book 'Patent Failure' providing early evidence of the damaging effects of patent trolls.

His contributions have been widely recognized, with citations from the US White House, Supreme Court, European Parliament, and Federal Trade Commission. Bessen has also engaged with policy discussions through various speaking engagements, including conferences on AI policy, intellectual property, and the future of work.