ABSTRACT
Intellectual property rights (IPRs) have become ubiquitous in the economic debate. The front pages of newspapers are constantly reporting major controversies among corporations, governments and advocacy groups. News such as the copyright issue regarding the Google Books project and the power of Big Pharma’s patents over key drugs and vaccines have generated growing alarm and heated dispute. Some books, including Naomi Klein’s No Logo (2000) and Vandana Shiva’s Patents: Myths and Reality (2001), have become best-sellers. Science fiction has been quick to report on these concerns, as shown by Michael Crichton’s Next (2006). National parliaments, the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are repeatedly addressing this issue. A brand-new Pirate Party, whose main political goal is to obtain free access to software and copyrighted products, has even managed to have its deputies elected to the European Parliament. Above all, IPRs have become one of the core businesses of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In a word, IPRs have emerged as the key issue of global innovation policy.
