Discussing how intellectual property (IP) rights play a role in tackling the challenge of securing sustainable development, renowned scholars consider how the core objective of IP rights to promote innovation and development of new knowledge aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This authoritative book provides an in-depth analysis of the multi-faceted interface between this core objective and the SDGs. Chapters analyse selected interrelations between IP law and other areas of law, including energy and financial law. Contributors explore the dimension of social development through timely examples such as the global solar photovoltaic market, the trend towards reusing and recycling, and the digital distribution of news services. This thought-provoking book argues for sustainable markets as an overreaching and contextual approach to the role of IP rights in tackling the challenges of the UN SDGs. Taking a market-based approach to IP rights and the SDGs, this engaging book will be of value to students and scholars of intellectual property and environmental law, as well as policymakers, practitioners and NGOs concerned with corporate social and environmental responsibility.

For many years, there have been discussions about whether intellectual property (IP) is really property. The property concept, particularly when used in transnational and international concepts, remains somewhat elusive. Here, Ole-Andreas Rognstad comprehensively discusses the use of the property metaphor in relation to IP in a transnational perspective. Rognstad gives an overview of main aspects of the IP/property interface, notably the justification and the structuring of the rights and intellectual property rights as assets. Moreover, he highlights the importance of distinguishing between these aspects, even though they are closely linked to each other. The book takes a transnational approach, dealing with recent developments in European human/fundamental rights law and international investment law, helping readers to understand the practical implications of the IP/property interface. This will be valuable reading for academics, practitioners and policy makers working in the area of IP, and lawyers and philosophers interested in the property debate.