Access to Information and Knowledge

Massive quantities of information are required to fuel the innovation process in a knowledge-based economy; a requirement that is in tension with intellectual property (IP) laws. Against this backdrop, leading thinkers in the IP arena explore the 'access challenge' of the 21st century, framed as the tension between the interest in the free flow of information and the fragmentation of knowledge resulting from strong IP laws. In some areas this tension seems to resolve in a shift of IP laws in the direction of greater openness, whether due to new business models, improved legal tools or access-friendly interpretations of existing laws. The book's chapters explore the challenges encountered by this 'opening' process from various perspectives, including: open access to public sector and scientific research data enhanced use of licensing reshaping the contours of individual IP laws inclusion of new stakeholders in the IP debate challenges to the information flow in the international arena. In identifying some of the core IP-related challenges to the process of adapting to the knowledge needs of the new economy, this book will provide an enlightening read for academics, policymakers and lawyers concerned with IP laws and the flow of knowledge.