Intellectual Property Futures

IP’s Futures offers a far-reaching exploration of the places intellectual property (IP) may be headed. It covers all the predominant areas of copyright, patent, and trademark law, and also highlights frontier topics reshaping the field. Control over information is assessed in new ways, linking trade secrecy with national security, assessing the protection of intimate data, interrogating drug price regulation, and recognizing private ordering across borders. Legal pluralism is central to the collection of well-integrated enquiries, illuminating the role of Indigenous law alongside other knowledge governance systems. Rather than simply re-hashing established debates, these chapters push the boundaries of our thinking, empowering readers to both understand and shape the emerging issues in IP.

A key strength of this collection is how it contextualizes the major forces driving change in IP. Technological shifts are examined with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence. Economic transformations–including labour practices and the future of work–are also scrutinized through analysis of agricultural production and rural development. The contributors delve into geopolitical dynamics, reflecting on global economic integration, international trade, and how these factors reverberate across the IP ecosystem. Alongside these technological, economic, and political perspectives, the collection grapples with social issues such as inequality and access to knowledge. It offers fresh lenses for understanding how rights-based frameworks may be viewed from different perspectives, ultimately championing more inclusive and justice-oriented approaches.

Equally notable is the multidisciplinary foundation of IP’s Futures. Contributors include scholars of history who contextualize the basis of IP systems, economists who dissect the drivers of creativity and invention, and scholars from the fields of health and computer sciences who help shed light on different aspects of data governance. By synthesizing insights from such fields, the collection underscores the richness of collaboration and the necessity of seeing IP through multiple vantage points.

Finally, IP’s Futures also represents an intergenerational conversation, including established authorities in IP alongside bright-shining emerging scholars. The collection proves that the future of the field lies not only in fresh subjects of inquiry, but in the innovative thinkers themselves. As a result, this collection is indispensable for those who want a rich, forward-looking perspective on IP’s evolution–one that can guide policy, practice, and scholarship for years to come.

Jeremy de BeerOttawa, January 2025.

–Jeremy de Beer FRSC, Canada Research Chair in Innovation and Intellectual Property Law, Full Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa

Graham Reynolds is Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Research and International, at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law. Dr. Reynolds’ teaching and research focus on the intersection of intellectual property and human rights.

Alexandra Mogyoros is Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Mogyoros’ research focuses on trademark law, brands, trust, and expression in online spaces.

Teshager Dagne is Associate Professor at York University and holds an Ontario Research Chair in Governing Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Dagne’s research and teaching focus on the intersections of AI, intellectual property, and development.