Does IP improve the world? Technology and its impact on our planet

Abstract

Utilitarian objectives for intellectual property (IP) rights as incentive mechanisms for innovative technologies are widely shared, even though significant debates remain on how to appropriately balance exclusivity and access. This utilitarian perspective is based on the assumption that new technologies and their deployment are in fact welfare enhancing. But is there a sound basis for this assumption? This contribution critically reviews how the technology incentivised by IP protection, as an expression of narratives of progress or ‘sustainable development’, has impacted on life on Earth. While recognising the immense benefits new technologies have brought humanity, it points to the equally severe consequences of technological progress – especially for the poor, for animals and plants. It also highlights our default reliance on technology as solution to our problems, and the un-even distribution of its benefits. Concluding with a brief analysis of the role the IP system, my main aim is to challenge conventional thinking that uncritically welcomes all technological innovation.

Keywords: Intellectual Property, Utilitarianism, Technology, Anthropocene, Climate Change