Protocols are legal agreements, codes of conduct, guidelines or sets of manners that explain how people should behave in certain circumstances.  They can be used to set community standards around knowledge circulation and use for outsiders as well as help change attitudes and set new standards. Generally, protocols are flexible and can change over time.  They may be used as tools to help achieve certain goals that other areas of law have been unable to fulfill. As formal or informal guidelines for behavior, protocols can help build relationships and make new ones possible.