A History of Intellectual Property in 50 Objects

What do the Mona Lisa, the light bulb, and a Lego brick have in common? The answer - intellectual property (IP) - may be surprising, because IP laws are all about us, but go mostly unrecognized.

They are complicated and arcane, and few people understand why they should care about copyright, patents, and trademarks. In this lustrous collection, Claudy Op den Kamp and Dan Hunter have brought together a group of contributors - drawn from around the globe in fields including law, history, sociology, science and technology, media, and even horticulture - to tell a history of IP in 50 objects.

These objects not only demonstrate the significance of the IP system, but also show how IP has developed and how it has influenced history. Each object is at the core of a story that will be appreciated by anyone interested in how great innovations offer a unique window into our past, present, and future.

• Proposes an interdisciplinary view of intellectual property that will appeal to not only to lawyers or legal scholars, but a wide range of readers
• Translates complex ideas of intellectual property into relatively lay language
• Utilizes an innovative approach in telling stories through objects, which engages those relatively new to the topic as well as those who are well-versed in the topic