Divided into three parts, this edited volume gives an overview of current topics in law and ethics in relation to intellectual property. It addresses practical issues encountered in everyday situations in politics, research and innovation, as well as some of the underlying theoretical concepts. In addition, it provides an insight into the process of international policy-making, showing the current problems in the area of intellectual property in science and research. It also highlights changes in the fundamental understanding of common and private property and the possible implications and challenges for society and politics.

Introduction; Part 1 Political Regulations and Institutions; Chapter 1 Biobank Governance: Property, Privacy and Consent, Roger Brownsword; Chapter 2 Population Genetic Databases: A New Challenge to Human Rights, Roberto Andorno; Chapter 3 Intellectual Property Rights and the Right to Health: Considering the Case of Access to Medicines, Alyna C. Smith; Chapter 4 International Protection of Human Genetic Data - The UNESCO Declaration on Human Genetic Data and the Possible Impact on Genetic Governance Models, Tobias Schulte in den Bäumen; Chapter 5 TRIPS Jurisprudence in the Balance: Between the Realist Defense of Policy Space and a Shared Utilitarian Ethic, Antony S. Taubman; Part 2 Science and Intellectual Property; Chapter 6 Exclusive Property Rights in the Biosciences: An Ethical Discussion, Christian Lenk; Chapter 7 Enclosing the "Knowledge Commons": Patenting Genes for Disease Risk and Drug Response at the University-Industry Interface, Bryn Williams-Jones, Vural Ozdemir; Chapter 8 Reconceptualizing Genetics: Challenges to Traditional Medical Ethics, Heather Widdows; Chapter 9 Lack of Access to Essential Drugs: A Story of Continuing Global Failure, with Particular Attention to the Role of Patents, Sigrid Sterckx; Chapter 10 Out of Touch: From Corporeal to Incorporeal, or Moore Revisited, Nils Hoppe; Part 3 Distribution, Licensing and Protection of Intellectual Property; Chapter 11 Knowledge and Information - Private Property or Common Good? A Global Perspective, Rainer Kuhlen; Chapter 12 The Limit of Balancing Interests Through Copyright Levies, Lucie Guibault; Chapter 13 The Institutional Nature of the Patent System: Implications for Bioethical Decision-Making, Sivaramjani Thambisetty; Chapter 14 Why People Give Information Freely: Internet Architecture and the Rebirth of Folkloric Culture, John Cahir;