Protection for intellectual property has never been absolute; it has always been limited in the public interest. The benefits of intellectual property protection are meant to flow to everyone, not just a limited population of creators and the corporations that represent them. Given this social-utility function, intellectual property regimes must address issues of access, inclusion, and empowerment for marginalized and excluded groups. This handbook defines an approach to considering social justice in intellectual property law and regulation. Top scholars in the field offer surveys of social justice implementation in patents, copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, rights of publicity, and other major IP areas. Chapters define Intellectual Property Social Justice theory and include recommendations for reforming aspects of IP law and administration to further social justice by providing better access, more inclusion, and greater empowerment to marginalized groups.

In the Information Age, historically marginalized groups and developing nations continue to strive for socio-economic empowerment within the global community. Their ultimate success largely depends upon their ability to develop, protect, and exploit their greatest natural resource: intellectual property. Through an exploration of the techniques used in social entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Entrepreneurship and Social Justice provides a framework by which historically marginalized communities and developing nations can cooperate with the developed world to establish a socially cohesive global intellectual property order. The knowledgeable contributors discuss, in four parts, topics surrounding entrepreneurship and empowerment, education and advocacy, engagement and activism and, finally, commencement. Experts in the field, scholars, law professors and students of intellectual property, human rights and international trade and development will find this book to be both thought-provoking and a valuable resource. Contributors: D.M. Conway, S. Ghosh, L.J. Gibbons, M. Gollin, R.S. Heimes, P. Lyfoung, A. McGeehan, C. McNulty, L. Mtima, L.E. Mulraine, J.R. Whitman, V. Rawlston Wilson, P.K. Yu