Author: Peter Drahos
John Braithwaite/
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 253
ISBN/UPC (if available): 978-0-19-566409-6
Description
This volume offers a wide coverage on intellectual property rights in the context of global business regulations. It delves into the impact of intellectual property rights on global business and on consumers of goods and important services in the market. It knits together global strategic business interests, historical accounts, human impact, and economic and development issues.
How did rules governing intellectual property become pat of the World Trade Organization’s free trade agreements? How have these rules changed the knowledge game for international business? What are the consequences for the ownership of biotechnology and digital technology, and for all those who will have to pay for what was once shared information? Who will be the global winners and losers?
This book tells the story of these profound transformations in information ownership. It argues that in the globalized information society, the rich have found new ways to rob the poor, but show how intellectual property rights can and must be more democratically defined.
The authors link the discussions on intellectual property to various related issues in developing countries, particularly India, and analyse the responses of Indian policy-makers. They particularly discuss India’s role form 1960 to 1980, when it led the developing countries resistance to western business initiative to ratchet up standards on intellectual property protection.
Shorn of legal jargon this volume is indispensable for policy-makers, corporate houses, professionals, economists, and lawyers. It will be of particular interest to all those involved in intellectual property issues pertaining to policy, managements, or litigation.
Contents
Preface
Chronology of Key Events
Acronyms and Abbreviations
INTRODUCTION
Why information feudalism?
The risks
Health-hell in Africa
Why sing TRIPS?
Efficiently, freedom, democracy and intellectual property
Overview
PIRACY
Cultural trespassers
A pyrate and a rover on the sea
Intellectual property piracy
A little intellectual property history
THE KNOWLEDGE GAME
Knowledge profits
Laboratories of knowledge
Patent locks on public goods
Patent locksmiths- the patent profession
Global knowledge cartels
The knowledge game
The changing knowledge game
STEALING FROM THE MIND
Messages
Last rites
The problems
Pfizer’s world of ideas
Getting on committees
THE ILLUSION OF SOVEREIGNTY
Sovereign poverty
Most wanted
The Caribbean
THE BILATERALS
The trade defence initiative
The US Generalized System of Preferences
Section 301
Designers, lobbyists and petitioners
Pinochhio’s nose
The wolf at the door
AGENDAS AND AGENDA-SETTERS: THE MULTILATERAL GAME
The GATT
The WIPO talkshop
Getting intellectual property on the trade agenda: the Quad and the IPC
Punta del Este
PERSUASION AND PRINCIPLES
Becoming a community
Standing on principle: the Basic Framework
The coalitionist
Sweeping house
AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE
Kick-off and final siren
Circles of consensus
The joy of text
The great hero
DDT
When the chips are down
BIOGOPOLIES
Patent privatization
Patent addiction
Mother Nature’s software
Patent engineering
The university-industrial knowledge complex
Hard core cartels
INFOGOPOLIES
Private copyright
Software blues
Hollywood trade ballyhoo
Mary had a little lamb
DEMOCRATIC PROPERTY RIGHTS
Good and bad property
Democratizing intellectual property
The puzzle of TRIPS
RESISTING THE NEW INEQUALITY
The new inequality
Rethinking piracy
Reforming patent office regulation
Deliberation on the Council for TRIPS
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PUBLICNESS OF KNOWLEDGE
Propertyless creativity
Protecting private property, protecting public universities
Global publics, public goods and knowledge
Notes
Index