Intellectual Property

"If a true “modern bioeconomy” is to emerge in the years ahead, intellectual property will no doubt play a critical role. Intellectual property rights – the manner in which they are recognised, traded and managed, nationally as well as globally – will influence the form such a bioeconomy takes, where it will flourish and flounder, and to whom the principal benefits will flow..."1

"Intellectual property increasingly constitutes the terrain upon which disputes over North-South inequalities are waged..."

Conflicting Effects of IP Protection

Incentivising Innovation

Early studies based on data from individual countries found that patents positively influenced innovation by 15-25%. 2

Encouraging Openness

Creation of Monopoly

Other research expresses concern that patents on initial discoveries may delay, hamper, and deter innovations building on this patented work. 3

...But the paper warns against the dangers of continuing to analyse IP issues from within the 'innovation versus access' paradigm/dichotomy.