ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by reviewing religious perspectives on intellectual property from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. It suggests that the core tenets of intellectual property law have become the articles of a secular economic religion, whose adherents can be found throughout legal, government, and policy communities. Once a topic of little interest outside the legal field, intellectual property commands attention from many disciplines, such as economics, public health, political science, and religion. Some research attempts to employ religion or culture as explanatory variables to understand variation in practices related to intellectual property. South East Asian authors have occasionally referenced Buddhism as part of their criticism of the imposition of Western intellectual property in developing countries. The chapter concludes by calling for wider recognition of the normative nature of intellectual property, as well as a reformation of law and policy that accounts for the perspectives and values of all who are affected by it.
