Access to Information and Knowledge

21st Century Challenges in Intellectual Property and Knowledge Governance

Elgar Intellectual Property and Global Development series

Edited by Dana Beldiman, Professor, Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, Germany and Professor-in-Residence, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, US

Massive quantities of information are required to fuel the innovation process in a knowledge-based economy; a requirement that is in tension with intellectual property (IP) laws. Against this backdrop, leading thinkers in the IP arena explore the ‘access challenge’ of the 21st century, framed as the tension between the interest in the free flow of information and the fragmentation of knowledge resulting from strong IP laws.

‘Technical communicators wishing to understand the complexities of intellectual property laws across political boundaries will find this collection of essays valuable. Certainly, this collection deserves a place in the company library for those companies who use intellectual property, but also those interested in international IP law.’
– Tom Warren, Technical Communication

‘This collection is an inspiration and a delight for those advocates fighting for access to knowledge in the 21st century. The work highlights a number of 21st century challenges – including the obstacles of restrictive licensing; the barriers and obstacles of intellectual property; and the threats posed by international trade agreements. This collection provides a toolbox of policy solutions to deal with such hazards. The work highlights how information and knowledge can be unlocked through open access licensing, progressive intellectual property law reform, and fair trade.’
– Matthew Rimmer, Australian Research Council, ANU College of Law and the Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture

‘In a knowledge economy, access to information and knowledge takes on an ever-increasing role. But certain knowledge outputs are protected by exclusive intellectual property rights, which in one way or another restrict access to some information. It is therefore timely to examine these access issues in greater detail. The fact that this volume offers such a detailed analysis is its greatest strength. The in-depth analysis of all these aspects makes this a truly fascinating book!’
– Paul Torremans, University of Nottingham, UK

这是一本重要的书,汇集了勒ading scholars from Europe and the United States to explore the access challenge in intellectual property law. It reframes the debate by focusing on the critical role of timely access to information in innovation-based economies. Well worth the read.’
– Michael W. Carroll, American University Washington College of Law, US

‘In her excellent introductory notes, Dana Beldiman concludes that the pathway to foster the ability to access and use information and knowledge in the 21st century remains somehow unclear. It offers ample food for further thought and will hopefully engage many researchers in near future.’
– International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law