Ours is an era when human genes can be copied and patented. From genetically modified foods to digital piracy, the concept of intellectual property (IP) and the laws upholding it play a foundational role in our society, but its political and ideological dimensions have rarely been understood outside of specialist circles. This collection cuts through the legal jargon that so often surrounds IP, to provide both a comprehensive history and analysis that explores the corporate interests that shape its conception and the movements that are developing alternatives. As the nature of industry changes, we might ask: what are the wider implications of the concept of IP, be it for agribusiness and pharmaceutical companies or the film and music industries? Has IP law has been used to safeguard and assert the ownership of ideas and creativity, or is it an essential foundation of our culture? Today, with mounting challenges from the growth of free software and open source movements, this collection provides an accessible and alternative guide to IP, exploring its significance within the wider struggle between capital and the commons.

A broad introduction to the changing roles of intellectual property within society Intellectual property is one of the most confusing--and widely used--dimensions of the law. By granting exclusive rights to publish, manufacture, copy, or distribute information and technology, IP laws shape our cultures, our industries, and our politics in countless ways, with consequences for everyone, including artists, inventors, entrepreneurs, and citizens at large. In this engaging, accessible study, Aram Sinnreich uncovers what's behind current debates and what the future holds for copyrights, patents, and trademarks.

"Clear, correct, and deep, this is a welcome addition to discussions of law and computing for anyone -- even lawyers!"-- Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and founder of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society If you work in information technology, intellectual property is central to your job -- but dealing with the complexities of the legal system can be mind-boggling. This book is for anyone who wants to understand how the legal system deals with intellectual property rights for code and other content. You'll get a clear look at intellectual property issues from a developer's point of view, including practical advice about situations you're likely to encounter. Written by an intellectual property attorney who is also a programmer, Intellectual Property and Open Source helps you understand patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and licenses, with special focus on the issues surrounding open source development and the GPL. This book answers questions such as: How do open source and intellectual property work together? What are the most important intellectual property-related issues when starting a business or open source project? How should you handle copyright, licensing and other issues when accepting a patch from another developer? How can you pursue your own ideas while working for someone else? What parts of a patent should be reviewed to see if it applies to your work? When is your idea a trade secret? How can you reverse engineer a product without getting into trouble? What should you think about when choosing an open source license for your project? Most legal sources are too scattered, too arcane, and too hard to read. Intellectual Property and Open Source is a friendly, easy-to-follow overview of the law that programmers, system administrators, graphic designers, and many others will find essential.

A guide to the types of intellectual property and how startups can best manage intellectual property in the early stages of the company. Startups face a variety of risks. The biggest risk is market risk, and entrepreneurs should be spending most of their time addressing the market risks - not learning law. The Startup Guide to Intellectual Property helps startups grow by showing how intellectual property is used to build and keep a sustainable competitive advantage. Moreover, The Startup Guide to Intellectual Property discusses the cost - benefit trade-offs when trying to capture a company's intellectual property and provides guidance on how to make those decisions. It includes a practical description of the types and uses of intellectual property and presents workable options for protecting that intellectual property early.

A comprehensive reference for valuation of intangible assets Intellectual Property, Valuation, Exploitation, and Infringement Damages provides in-depth, up-to-date guidance about the valuation of intangible assets. Covering patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and more, this book describes the standards, best practices, and case law relating to valuation, licensing, and infringement damages. Intellectual property strategies are examined from a business economic standpoint, and analytical models are provided to streamline the calculation of valuations, licensing royalty rates, and fair equity splits in joint venture arrangements. Designed to ease the task of attaching monetary value to intangible assets, this invaluable reference includes extensive practical guidance including sample royalty rate information, diffusion sales forecasting models, detailed treatment of investment rate of return, and the valuation of early-stage technology. Intellectual property is rapidly becoming a major profit center for an increasing number of companies, who may invest billions of dollars in development of an irreplaceable asset. This book provides an authoritative reference for exploiting this property to its fullest extent, and quantifying its actual economic value. Now that intangible assets are becoming the cornerstones of corporations, applying a logical, analytical approach to valuation has become more important than ever. Intellectual Property, Valuation, Exploitation, and Infringement Damages provides expert guidance for each stage of the asset's life cycle, with recommended procedures and strategies grounded in case law and real-world practice.

Intellectual Property (IP) is often a company’s single most valuable asset. And yet IP is hard to value, widely misunderstood and frequently under-exploited. IP accounts for an estimated $5trn of GDP in the US alone. It covers patents, trademarks, domain names, copyrights, designs and trade secrets. Unsurprisingly, companies zealously guard their own ideas and challenge the IP of others. Damages arising from infringements have fostered a sizeable claims industry. But IP law is complex, and the business, financial and legal issues around it are difficult to navigate. Court decisions and interpretation of IP laws can be unpredictable, and can dramatically change the fortunes of businesses that rely on their IP – as demonstrated in the pharmaceutical industry’s battle with generic drugs. This comprehensive guide to intellectual property will help companies, investors, and creative thinkers understand the scope and nature of IP issues, pose the right questions to their advisers and maximize the value from this crucial intangible asset.

A new look at the strategic and managerial issues surrounding intellectual property (IP) and international commercialization in the international market. An updated version which provides practitioners and analysts with guidelines and an action framework on how to benefit from IP.