Enforcement vs. Access: Wrestling with Intellectual Property on the Internet

Abstract

The last years have seen a growing politicization of intellectual property issues, especially those relative to the internet. The politicization of intellectual property, driven by the digitization of media and the rapid expansion of the internet, has made intellectual property rights relevant not only for a limited number of corporate actors, but increasingly for individual citizens and their everyday practices. With the growing number of participating actors and an expanded scope of intellectual property rights, the complexity of the policy field is on the rise.

This article assesses the current state of IP politics and draws attention to three parallel processes, which structure the future development of intellectual property policies related to the internet: 1) the growing focus on enforcement, 2) the plurilateralization of international IP policies, and 3) the trend to open access. The regional focus of this analysis is on Europe, but similar trends are visible in the US as well.

Keywords: Intellectual Property, Europa, Enforcement, ACTA, Creative Commons, Open Access, Piracy, Counterfeiting

JEL Classification: F02, F13, O34