The past few decades have been witness to a number of important developments with respect to the global intellectual property (IP) system, including shifts in focus between multilateralism and bilateralism/regionalism; growing recognition of the various ways in which IP intersects with and impacts areas including human rights, development, trade, and social justice; broad acknowledgement of the economic value of many IP rights; and important theoretical interventions that have challenged the values underlying the global IP system.

These developments have occurred alongside several other events, changes, and crises that have altered the landscape of our global communities. Chief among them are climate change; armed conflicts; the COVID-19 pandemic; economic changes to work; technological shifts including those relating to the internet and artificial intelligence, and their role in society; and growing recognition of the inequities that exist within and between societies as well as the ways in which these inequities are reinforced and maintained through systemic discrimination and ongoing colonialism.

Given these developments, changes, and crises, what is the future of IP law and policy? Featuring contributions from scholars from across Canada and around the world, this collection offers insights into eighteen possible futures for the global IP system.

Collectively, these chapters re-envision international agreements; rethink Canadian IP law; argue for the creation of space for Indigenous legal traditions; highlight the promises and perils of technology as it relates to IP; expose inequities and injustices, and provide possible pathways to correct them.

Author Biography

Bassem Awad (Contributor)
Bassem Awad is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Area of Concentration in Intellectual Property, Information and Technology law in the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario.

Sara Bannerman (Contributor)
Sara Bannerman is Canada Research Chair in Communication Policy and Governance and Professor of Communication Studies at McMaster University.

Mauro Barelli (Contributor)
Mauro Barelli is Professor of International Law at City St George’s University of London.

Enrico Bonadio (Contributor)
Enrico Bonadio is Professor of Law at City St George’s University of London.

Andrea Cabello (Contributor)
Andrea Cabello is Associate professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Brasilia.

Naama Daniel (Contributor)
Naama Daniel is Research Fellow, Federmann Cyber Security Research Center Cyber
Law Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Deputy Legal Adviser to the Economic Affairs Committee, the Israeli Parliament (on sabbatical).

Cheryl Dine (Contributor)
Cheryl Dine is a PhD candidate at City St George’s University of London.

Mistrale Goudreau (Contributor)
Mistrale Goudreau is full professor at the Civil Law Section of the University of Ottawa.

Gregory Hagen (Contributor)
Gregory R. Hagen is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Calgary.

Johnny Mack (Contributor)
Johnny Mack (Haynahmeek, Toquaht Nation) is Assistant Professor at the Allard School of Law and Co-Director of Indigenous Legal Studies.

Lisa Macklem (Contributor)
Lisa Macklem is a legal scholar specializing in copyright, entertainment and media law.

Faith Majekolagbe (Contributor)
Faith O. Majekolagbe is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, and a Faculty Associate at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.

Richard Overstall (Contributor)
Richard Overstall is a former mining geologist who drifted into research for public-interest and indigenous groups, including coordinating
expert opinion evidence for the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en plaintiffs in the Delgamuukw aboriginal title trial.

Anmol Patel (Contributor)
Anmol Patel is a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa and a Research Assistant with OpenAIR and ABS-Canada. He holds an LLM
from the University of Toronto and a BBA-LLB from India.

Andelka Phillips (Contributor)
Andelka M. Phillips is Academic Affiliate at HeLEX Centre, University of Oxford and an Affiliate at the Bioethics Institute Ghent, Ghent University.

Luciano Povoa (Contributor)
Luciano Pvoa is a Legislative Advisor for microeconomic policy at the Brazilian Federal Senate.

Cody Rei-Anderson (Contributor)
Cody Rei-Anderson is Lecturer in Law and Technology at Edinburgh Napier University.

Anthony Rosborough (Contributor)
Anthony D. Rosborough is Assistant Professor of Law & Computer Science at Dalhousie University and Doctoral Researcher at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

Myra Tawfik (Contributor) Myra Tawfik is Distinguished University Professor and the inaugural Don Rodzik Family Chair in Law and Entrepreneurship at the University of Windsor.

David Watson (Contributor)
David J. Watson is a PhD candidate in Law at Peter A. Allard School of Law, at the University of British Columbia.

Peter Yu (Contributor)
Peter K. Yu is University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor of Law and Communication, and Director of the Center for Law and Intellectual Property at Texas A&M University.

Graham J. Reynolds (Editor)
Graham Reynolds is Associate Professor at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law. Dr. Reynolds’ teaching and research focus on the intersection of intellectual property and human rights.

Alexandra Mogyoros (Editor)
Alexandra Mogyoros is Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Mogyoros’ research focuses on trademark law, brands, trust, and expression in online spaces.

Teshager Dagne (Editor)
Teshager W. Dagne is Associate Professor at York University and holds an Ontario Research Chair in Governing Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Dagne’s research and teaching focus on the intersections of AI, intellectual property, and development.