Intellectual Property and Access to Im/material Goods: (Elgar Law, Technology and Society series)

Intellectual property goods are frequently referred to as intangible or abstract. Yet, traditionally, they have almost always needed to be embodied or materialized in order to be protected (and - to a certain extent - to be used and enjoyed), regardless of whether they are copyrighted works, patented inventions or trademarks. With a focus on the issue of access and the challenges of new technologies such as biotechnology and digital technologies, this unique collection analyzes the relationship between intellectual property and its physical embodiments. It contains a mixture of theoretical and practical perspectives and encompasses an interdisciplinary approach, including chapters on the connection between intellectual property and cultural heritage law, cultural property law and international trade law. The book furthermore comprises historical reflections that illuminate how intellectual property has never been purely about the intangible. Intellectual Property and Access to Im/material Goods will be of interest to scholars, practitioners and law and policymakers. Users of intellectual property goods such as museums, libraries, archives and/or other cultural institutions, as well as users of biomaterials, copyrighted works, patented inventions and/or trademarked goods will find value in this book. Contributors include: C.E. Bell, M. Blakeney, D.L. Burk, S. Corbett, S. Frankel, M.J. Madison, A. McMahon, A. Pottage, L.K. Skorodenski, G. Spedicato, P.K. Yu

Table of Contents:
Contents: Foreword Alain Pottage Introduction: The Relationship Between Intellectual Property and its Physical Embodiments Jessica C. Lai and Antoinette Maget Dominicé PART I THEORETICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE IM/MATERIAL DIVIDE 1. Understanding Access to Things: A Knowledge Commons Perspective Michael J. Madison 2. Copyright and the New Materialism Dan L. Burk PART II CONCEPTUAL CHANGES AND CHALLENGES POSED BY NEW TECHNOLOGIES 3. The Copy in Copyright Peter K. Yu 4. A Tale of Two Histories: The “Invention” and its Incentive Theory Jessica C. Lai 5. The Nebulous “Invention”: From “Idea and Embodiment” to “Idea/Embodiment and Observable Physical Effects”? Jessica C. Lai PART III PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS 6. Digital Lending and Public Access to Knowledge Giorgio Spedicato 7. Patents, Human Biobanks and Access to Health: Bridging the Public–Private Divide Aisling Mcmahon 8. Tangible Meets Intangible: International Trade in Intellectual Property Susy Frankel PART IV THE IM/MATERIAL IN MUSEUMS AND ISSUES RELATING TO TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 9. Negotiations in WIPO for International Conventions on Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Michael Blakeney 10. In/Tangible Heritage, Intellectual Property and Museum Policy: Exploring Methods for Respecting Indigenous Legal Traditions Catherine E. Bell, Jessica C. Lai and Laura K. Skorodenski 11. Digital V Analogue: Reconceptualising the Orphan Works Problem for Cultural Heritage Institutions Susan Corbett Index

About the Author :
Edited by Jessica C. Lai, Professor of Commercial Law, Wellington School of Business and Government, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and Antoinette Maget Dominicé, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Review :
'The lines dividing abstract objects, material objects, information and their relationship to digital processes have always been difficult to draw in the context of intellectual property law. This volume is the first to take on this difficult topic in a comprehensive way. It shows the depth of the difficulties, but also provides a theoretical foundation for new approaches to these divides. It is an original and important contribution.' --Peter Drahos, Australian National University'This collection of essays ought to be commended for the comprehensive approach it takes by engaging with a widely known, yet less widely understood, problematic aspect of IP: the requirement of materiality and its limiting effect on access to intellectual creations. While such limiting effect on the digital environment is seen, experienced and discussed in diverse elds, across jurisdictions and many academic texts, this collection brings together discussions of some such issues along with nuanced evaluations of contemporary dif culties surrounding access to immaterial goods. The volume adopts an effective approach to fully educating the reader about the problem of access, while advancing fresh theoretical approaches.' --Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice