Innovation, Incentive and Reward

The protection of intellectual property - patents, copyrightand trade marks - is generally regarded as a high policy priority in the UK and the European Union. This book asks why this should be so. Is too much intellectual property actually bad for industry, trade and competition? Does intellectual property really provide an incentive for innovation through the creation of wealth? The contributors, who include the Patent Judges of the English High Court, argue that the present law and its further extension should receive much more critical scrutiny, in particular from an economic perspective. Topics covered include copyright with especial reference to the performing arts and the growth of new technology, especially biotechnology and the Internet. The book offers an up-to-date picture of intellectual property law and a critical analysis of its future development.