It has become a commonplace that there has been an information revolution, transforming both society and the economy. In 1995 the Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIPs) agreement aimed to harmonise protection for property in knowledge throughout the global system.
This book considers the contemporary disputes about the ownership of knowledge resources - as in the cases of genetically modified foods, the music industry or the internet - and the problematic nature of the TRIPs agreement. In this highly topical book, Christopher May reveals that, because of such problems, at present the...

"The World Intellectual Property Organization "aims to introduce a much ignored element of the contemporary structure of global governance to scholars of international political economy. The book discusses:
· How WIPO works, its antecedents and history
· The debates about the role and justification of intellectual property
· The role of WIPO within contemporary global politics.
· The key elements of its relations with the World Trade Organization,
· The Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
The analysis then...

Covering the World Intellectual Property Organization, this volume introduces a much ignored element of the contemporary structure of global governance to scholars of international political economy.

Christopher May discusses:

• how the World Intellectual Property Organization works, its antecedents and history
• the debates about the role and justification of intellectual property
• the role of WIPO within contemporary global politics
• the key elements of its relations with the World Trade Organization
• the Agreement on Trade...

One of the many striking applications of nonlinear technology in recent years, nonlinear pricing uses cutting-edge technology to identify and exploit patterns hidden within the seemingly helter-skelter rise and fall of daily stock prices. Nonlinear Pricing sheds much needed light on the principles behind this innovative view of reality and provides clear explanations of how it is employed to predict-at least partially-the unpredictable.

Beginning with an incisive introduction to the topic, May presents the roots of nonlinearity through the examples of calendrics, geometry, and...

In this timely new book, Christopher May surveys some of the most influential and important writings that declare we are entering a new information age. It is frequently asserted that this will bring about a social transformation and that the character of work is being transformed by the widespread deployment of information and communication technologies. In a similar manner we are told the world of politics is changing, with new communities emerging which will alter the practices of politics in profound and novel ways, and which will significantly reduce the role of the state and government....

Digital Rights Management examines the social context of new digital rights management (DRM) technologies in a lively and accessible style. It sets out the scope of DRMs in non-technical terms and then explores the shifts that DRM has produced within the regime of protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs). Focusing on the social norms around the protection of IPRs, it examines the music industry and software development sector to ask whether the protections established by DRM are legitimate and socially beneficial. Using these key examples to establish a more general argument, the...