Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World: Theory and Practice : 9781591405764

Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World is a collection of recent essays offering fresh perspectives on the scope and future of intellectual property rights. The tripartite division of the book is designed to make this inter-disciplinary topic more accessible and intelligible to readers of diverse backgrounds. Part I consists of a single essay that provides a broad overview of the main themes in intellectual property scholarship, such as normative intellectual property theory and the legal infrastructure for property protection. The second section of the book presents several essays that are intended to deepen the reader's understanding of intellectual property theory and show how it can help us to grapple with the proper allocation of property rights in cyberspace. And the final section further develops the themes in Part II but in greater detail and with a more practical orientation. While intellectual property rights create dynamic incentive effects, they also entail social costs, and they are sometimes in tension with the development of a robust public domain.

About the Author
Dr. Richard A. Spinello is an Associate Research Professor in the Carroll School of Management at Boston College where he teaches courses on information technology ethics, social issues in management, and corporate strategy. Prior to joining the faculty Dr. Herman T. Tavani is Chair of the Philosophy Department and Director of the Liberal Studies Program at Rivier College, Nashua, NH. He is Co-Executive Director of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT) and Secretary/T