The essential guide to intellectual property / Aram Sinnreich.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-268) and index.

What is intellectual property -- The origins of intellectual property -- The limits of intellectual property -- Intellectual property and cultural expression -- The politics behind intellectual property -- Intellectual property in the global area -- Copyright piracy -- Copyleft and copyfight -- The future of intellectual property.

This engaging and accessible study looks at the origins, evolution, purpose, and limitations of intellectual property. Detailing how intellectual property affects industry, politics, cultural expression, and medical research, Aram Sinnreich takes a multidisciplinary approach to uncover what's behind the current debates and what the future holds for copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Based on the notion that intellectual property law is not merely a property right but also a mechanism of cultural and economic regulation with significant consequences for democratic institutions, global businesses, arts, and the sciences, Sinnreich draws on media studies, communications, law, economics, and cultural studies as he provides a blueprint for understanding intellectual property rights and underlines the important and pervasive role that they play in everyone's lives.