Divided into three parts, this edited volume gives an overview of current topics in law and ethics in relation to intellectual property. It addresses practical issues encountered in everyday situations in politics, research and innovation, as well as some of the underlying theoretical concepts. In addition, it provides an insight into the process of international policy-making, showing the current problems in the area of intellectual property in science and research. It also highlights changes in the fundamental understanding of common and private property and the possible implications and challenges for society and politics.

'From access to vital medicines through to patenting of the human genome, this wide-ranging collection covers a wide range of important issues in modern biomedicine and law. In a field where the pace of change is exponential, these articles will be highly valuable to scholars and general readers alike.' Donna Dickenson, University of London, UK '...contains fourteen intellectually stimulating, and imminently readable chapters...a pleasure to read.' Medicine, Health Care & Philosophy

Christian Lenk is a Researcher, and Assistant Professor at the Department for Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Goettingen, Germany. He also is a member of the research ethics committee of the University of Goettingen and in charge of the Goettingen project of PROPEUR. Nils Hoppe worked in child abuse law in England until 2001, as legal counsel in a large university hospital until 2003 and is now a Senior Lecturer in English for law at the University of Hannover, Germany, where he is also working on his doctorate in law on a topic related to property rights in biological material. Roberto Andorno was a member of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee from 1998 to 2005. He is currently Senior Research Fellow at the Ethics Centre of the University of Zurich, Switzerland.