Law One: Convergence - When Worlds Collide

The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is a 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Composed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 3 introduces the first of the nine laws of disruption: convergence. As wireless access and cheap mobile computing become ubiquitous, the world of the physical and the world of the digital are merging. On the border, difficult problems of law appear. Where do our digital activities take place? What law applies? Are judges, legislators, and law enforcement officers competent to enforce behavioral standards on our world? The author contends that the best and most effective code for the intersection of industrial and information economies is a market-based solution, not a governmental imposition of antiquated rules.

• Innovation
• IT management
• Organizational change
• Intellectual property
• Strategy