The Biopolitics of Intellectual Property
Regulating Innovation and Personhood in the Information Age
Published on 2. January 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
230 pages
978-1-108-71205-7 (ISBN)
Description
As a central part of the regulation of contemporary economies, intellectual property (IP) is central to all aspects of our lives. It matters for the works we create, the brands we identify and the medicines we consume. But if IP is power, what kind of power is it, and what does it do? Building on the work of Michel Foucault, Gordon Hull examines different ways of understanding power in copyright, trademark and patent policy: as law, as promotion of public welfare, and as promotion of neoliberal privatization. He argues that intellectual property policy is moving toward neoliberalism, even as that move is broadly contested in everything from resistance movements to Supreme Court decisions. This work should be read by anyone interested in understanding why the struggle to conceptualize IP matters.
Reviews / Votes
'Tracing the shifting logic of intellectual property over the centuries, Gordon Hull demonstrates that neoliberalism is less concerned with markets or freedom than it is with the economization of everyday life. This groundbreaking genealogy combines Foucauldian theory of biopower with a rich empirical analysis to illuminate how norms and technologies of ownership are now at stake in the shaping of our very subjectivity.' William Davies, Goldsmiths, University of London and author of The Limits of Neoliberalism 'A fascinating and richly detailed examination of contested and changing conceptions of intellectual property in the context of shifting regimes of biopower. A must-read for anyone interested in biopolitics and American law.' Ladelle McWhorter, University of Richmond and author of Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-AmericaMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
343 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-71205-7 (9781108712057)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Gordon Hull
The Biopolitics of Intellectual Property
Regulating Innovation and Personhood in the Information Age
Book
01/2020
Cambridge University Press
€132.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
Gordon Hull
The Biopolitics of Intellectual Property
Regulating Innovation and Personhood in the Information Age
E-Book
12/2019
Cambridge University Press
€32.99
Available for download
Person
Gordon Hull is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He has published numerous articles on contemporary philosophical and political theory, intellectual property, privacy, and the history of philosophy. He is also the author of Hobbes and the Making of Modern Political Thought (2009).
Content
1. Introduction; 2. Theorizing intellectual property; 3. Copyright; 4. Trademark; 5. Patents; 6. Conclusion: politics was already in the way; 7. Works Cited.