Abstract

Ours is an era when human genes can be copied and patented. From genetically modified foods to digital piracy, the concept of intellectual property (IP) and the laws upholding it play a foundational role in our society, but its political and ideological dimensions have rarely been understood outside of specialist circles. This collection cuts through the legal jargon that so often surrounds IP, to provide both a comprehensive history and analysis that explores the corporate interests that shape its conception and the movements that are developing alternatives.

As the nature of industry changes, we might ask: what are the wider implications of the concept of IP, be it for agribusiness and pharmaceutical companies or the film and music industries? Has IP law has been used to safeguard and assert the ownership of ideas and creativity, or is it an essential foundation of our culture?

Today, with mounting challenges from the growth of free software and open source movements, this collection provides an accessible and alternative guide to IP, exploring its significance within the wider struggle between capital and the commons.

‘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

‘Callahan and Rogers have put together a critical guide that tells the truth about intellectual property. Everybody should read it.’
Peter Drahos, Australian National University

‘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 (retd)

‘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

'A Critical Guide… is as much a handbook that suggests radical thought and action as it is an intellectuals’ guide to intellectual property.'
Jonah Raskin, Socialism and Democracy

Mat Callahan is a musician and author. He founded seminal world-beat band, Looters, the artists' collective, Komotion International, and produced the revival of James Connolly's "Songs of Freedom". He’s authored four books, Sex, Death and the Angry Young Man (1993); Testimony (2000); The Trouble With Music (2005); and The Explosion of Deferred Dreams (2017).

Jim Rogers is a lecturer in communications at the School of Communications, Dublin City University, Ireland. His research interests centre on the political economy of the media. His first book, The Death and Life of the Music Industry in the Digital Age was published in 2013. Beyond this, his research has been published in a host of international peer-review journals and various edited collections.