Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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We welcome Prof. Andrew Torrance, distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Kansas and visiting scholar at MIT, to discuss the complex legal landscape surrounding user innovation and patents. The conversation delves into the freedom and challenges of product innovation, the balance between open and closed inventions, and the ethical implications of experimental treatments. They also explore the historical and ongoing impact of FDA regulations and the role of patents in fostering or hindering innovation. Sponsored by Wazoku, this episode is essential listening for innovators, legal experts, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology, law, and ethics.





00:00 Introduction and Wazoku Sponsor Message


00:27 Upcoming Reinvention Summit


01:01 Previous Episodes Recap


01:28 Introducing Andrew W. Torrance


02:01 Legal Aspects of Free User Innovation


03:29 Experimenting and Sharing Innovations


09:02 Selling Innovations and Legal Implications


11:07 Influencers and Legal Responsibilities


17:21 Trust in the FDA and Alternative Medicine


24:38 Patient Rights and Experimental Drugs


30:44 Patenting Innovations


38:54 Closing Remarks and Contact Information


39:44 Final Wazoku Sponsor Message





Andrew on SSRN: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=625609


Ted Talk: youtu.be/g8GTg_632qY?si=lieqXrcdwUWD1l_l


Andrew's most recent talk on "Innovation Hypercycles: The Rise and Fall of Technology Hotspots", https://facultyaffairs.ku.edu/distinguished-professors