Rethinking Intellectual Property
A Radical Guide to the Past, Present, and Future of the Ownership of Ideas
2nd Edition
Will be published approx. on 4. February 2027
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-350-61899-2 (ISBN)
Description
This is the updated and expanded edition of the only radical, multidisciplinary, international introduction to intellectual property in its socio-economic contexts.
Bringing together voices from law, sociology, economics, political science, and cultural studies from across the Global North and Global South, experts and activists Mat Callahan and Jim Rogers offer a detailed history and analysis of IP before asking critical questions designed to underscore its importance in the broader struggle between capital and the commons. What are the broader implications of IP, whether for agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, education, or entertainment? Is IP law a fundamental pillar of our culture, or has it been used to protect and assert the ownership of, and thus limit, the spread of ideas and creativity?
With a chapter structure moving from historical and theoretical foundations to industry-specific conflicts and policy analysis, this book covers the breadth and depth of IP areas, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, as well as emerging issues such as digital rights and biotechnology.
Key features include:
- voluminous, up-to-date case studies, both Western and non-Western;
- an extensive, jargon-busting list of abbreviations of specialized or technical terms;
- a new chapter on copyright and socialism;
- revisions and updates accounting for the seismic impacts of artificial intelligence.
This is a foundational must-read for all researchers, students, and activists interested in critical analyses of IP laws and policies--not just their legal frameworks, but also their broader social, economic, and political implications.
Bringing together voices from law, sociology, economics, political science, and cultural studies from across the Global North and Global South, experts and activists Mat Callahan and Jim Rogers offer a detailed history and analysis of IP before asking critical questions designed to underscore its importance in the broader struggle between capital and the commons. What are the broader implications of IP, whether for agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, education, or entertainment? Is IP law a fundamental pillar of our culture, or has it been used to protect and assert the ownership of, and thus limit, the spread of ideas and creativity?
With a chapter structure moving from historical and theoretical foundations to industry-specific conflicts and policy analysis, this book covers the breadth and depth of IP areas, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, as well as emerging issues such as digital rights and biotechnology.
Key features include:
- voluminous, up-to-date case studies, both Western and non-Western;
- an extensive, jargon-busting list of abbreviations of specialized or technical terms;
- a new chapter on copyright and socialism;
- revisions and updates accounting for the seismic impacts of artificial intelligence.
This is a foundational must-read for all researchers, students, and activists interested in critical analyses of IP laws and policies--not just their legal frameworks, but also their broader social, economic, and political implications.
Reviews / Votes
Unwraps intellectual property's supposed enigma in an accessible fashion. Power, profits, piracy: all are explored here with real arguments and facts. Provocative. * Alan Story, University of Kent, UK * Combining analytical and narrative approaches, this book is an excellent way to get to grips with the current political economy of intellectual property. * Christopher May, Lancaster University, UK * The idea of Intellectual Property is, quite literally, an attempt to monopolize ideas. In this exciting volume, the ideological basis of IP is critiqued, and the options for resistance examined. * John Quiggin, University of Queensland, Australia * As much a handbook that suggests radical thought and action as it is an intellectuals' guide to intellectual property. * Jonah Raskin, Socialism and Democracy * A critical guide that tells the truth about intellectual property. Everybody should read it. * Peter Drahos, Australian National University, Australia *More details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-61899-2 (9781350618992)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Mat Callahan is a musician and author based in Ireland. His previous books include The Explosion of Deferred Dreams: Musical Renaissance and Social Revolution in San Francisco, 1965-1975 and The Trouble With Music.
Jim Rogers is Associate Professor of Communications at Dublin City University, Ireland. His research interests focus on media and cultural production, especially popular music, with particular emphasis on the role of intellectual property in shaping the outcome of new technologies in the music industries.
Jim Rogers is Associate Professor of Communications at Dublin City University, Ireland. His research interests focus on media and cultural production, especially popular music, with particular emphasis on the role of intellectual property in shaping the outcome of new technologies in the music industries.
Content
Introduction
1. Why Intellectual Property? Why Now?
Mat Callahan and Jim Rogers
2. Running through the Jungle: Introduction to Intellectual Property
Mat Callahan
Section I. Historical Contexts and Conceptual Frameworks
3. Intellectual Property Rights and their Diffusion around the World: Towards a Global History
Colin Darch, University of Cape Town, South Africa
4. The Political Economy of Intellectual Property
Michael Perelman, California State University, USA
5. I Am because I Own vs. I Am because We Are
Mat Callahan
Section II. Terrains of Conflict and Terms of Engagement
6. Owning up to Owning Traditional Knowledge of Medicinal Plants
Josef A. Brinckmann, Research Fellow at Traditional Medicinals, Inc., California, USA
7. Using Human Rights to Move beyond Reformism to Radicalism: A2K for Schools, Libraries, and Archives
Caroline B. Ncube, University of Cape Town, South Africa
8. Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss: Copyright and Continuity in the Contemporary Music Economy
Jim Rogers
9. Free Software and Open Source Movements from Digital Rebellion to Aaron Swartz: Responses to Government and Corporate Attempts at Suppression and Enclosure
Paul McKimmey, University of Hawaii, USA, with a coda by Bob Jolliffe, University of Oslo, Norway
Section III. Law, Policy and Jurisdiction
10. Rethinking the World Intellectual Property Organization
Debora Halbert, University of Hawaii, USA
11. What is Intellectual Property?
Blayne Haggart, Brock University, Ontario, Canada
12. Piracy, States and the Legitimation of Authority
Mat Callahan
13. Intellectual Property and Socialism
Josef A. Brinckmann and Mat Callahan
Conclusions
14: Summary and Concluding Remarks
Mat Callahan and Jim Rogers
1. Why Intellectual Property? Why Now?
Mat Callahan and Jim Rogers
2. Running through the Jungle: Introduction to Intellectual Property
Mat Callahan
Section I. Historical Contexts and Conceptual Frameworks
3. Intellectual Property Rights and their Diffusion around the World: Towards a Global History
Colin Darch, University of Cape Town, South Africa
4. The Political Economy of Intellectual Property
Michael Perelman, California State University, USA
5. I Am because I Own vs. I Am because We Are
Mat Callahan
Section II. Terrains of Conflict and Terms of Engagement
6. Owning up to Owning Traditional Knowledge of Medicinal Plants
Josef A. Brinckmann, Research Fellow at Traditional Medicinals, Inc., California, USA
7. Using Human Rights to Move beyond Reformism to Radicalism: A2K for Schools, Libraries, and Archives
Caroline B. Ncube, University of Cape Town, South Africa
8. Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss: Copyright and Continuity in the Contemporary Music Economy
Jim Rogers
9. Free Software and Open Source Movements from Digital Rebellion to Aaron Swartz: Responses to Government and Corporate Attempts at Suppression and Enclosure
Paul McKimmey, University of Hawaii, USA, with a coda by Bob Jolliffe, University of Oslo, Norway
Section III. Law, Policy and Jurisdiction
10. Rethinking the World Intellectual Property Organization
Debora Halbert, University of Hawaii, USA
11. What is Intellectual Property?
Blayne Haggart, Brock University, Ontario, Canada
12. Piracy, States and the Legitimation of Authority
Mat Callahan
13. Intellectual Property and Socialism
Josef A. Brinckmann and Mat Callahan
Conclusions
14: Summary and Concluding Remarks
Mat Callahan and Jim Rogers