ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains the social and cultural dimensions of intellectual property frameworks are significant subject matter of intellectual examination and investigation. The economic impact of patents on development and local infrastructures is of particular concern. This cultural character of patent law may be traced to the very functioning of the system itself. The Patenting Lives Project has been concerned with looking at the impact of patent protection in various areas of biotechnology and, in particular, so-called 'life patents'. Patents in biotechnology and gene-related inventions are in fact an important legal and analytical nexus for the use and consumption of patents and the economic interpretations of the market created for such products. The book explains the scientific innovation is separated as an economic and utilitarian activity, with little in common with the cultural products 'defended' against other intellectual property frameworks.
