Intellectual Property Rights

Innovation, Governance and the Institutional Environment

Edited by Birgitte Andersen, Professor of the Economics and Management of Innovation, School of Business, Economics and Informatics, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK

Intellectual Property Rights is cutting edge in addressing current debates affecting businesses, industry sectors and society today, and in focusing not only on the enabling welfare effects of IPR systems, but also on some of the possible adverse effects of IPR systems.

‘. . . the contributions allow for a multi-sector, international and historically informed appreciation of the shaping of innovation by intellectual capital. This is a welcome addition to a vital but poorly understood area.’
– Mark Winskel, Science and Public Policy

‘The book presents an impressive line-up of experts in the increasingly relevant field of law and economics, an area that has particular relevance to the issue of IP rights. The book comes precisely at a time when there is a growing debate about the role of empirical evidence in the field of IP. . . The book editor has done an excellent job producing a quality product. . . this is a highly recommended collection.’
– Andrés Guadamuz, Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice

‘Intellectual property policy has been framed too commonly in terms of refining and strengthening legal rights. As intellectual property grows in scope and importance, the limitations of this narrow approach have become all too apparent. This important collection puts the policy problems in proper perspective by assembling the work of leading scholars and researchers who examine intellectual property rights in terms of how they actually work in legal, economic, and institutional contexts.’
– Brian Kahin, University of Michigan and formerly White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, US

‘For a long time we have thought about IPRs as a policy instrument to avoid a "tragedy of commons". The essays collected by Birgitte Andersen show that in the XXI century economy there is another, and so far underestimated, danger: a sort of "tragedy of markets" where every knowledge or cultural expression becomes privatised. This will generate a greater knowledge and culture divide, with an increased corporate dominance. Those who are afraid of the dangers of exclusion and believe that open access to science, technology and culture will lead us in a more intriguing world will find convincing arguments and explanations in this volume.’
——丹尼尔·Archibugi,意大利国家al Research Council, Italy