The course will provide an understanding of the theory and practise of intellectual property rights (IPRs), such as patents and copyrights, and the consequences of IPRs for the information society. You will get an understanding of the economic rationale of IPRs, their international context, and the impact of IPRs on standard setting. You will be able to critically assess the debate on IPRs in the modern information society, including software, open source and other information industries.

This course deals with the economic aspects of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and provides insights into why various forms of IPRs such as patents, copyrights and trademarks are necessary to stimulate innovation. We will also look at how certain aspects of IPRs may hinder innovation. In the international context of IPRs, we will look at how IPRs influence the diffusion of knowledge between countries, for example from advanced countries to developing countries. In the context of standard setting, IPRs are important because they may block access to the standard. Subsequently the course moves to developments specific in the information society and discusses contemporary topics like (open source) software and creative commons. The final topic concerns policy design in a digital economy and includes cloud computing, smartphone industries and mobile internet.

Articles from academic journals and book chapters

Courses and workload are very demanding for all master courses.
An advanced level of English.
Basic understanding of microeconomics and of statistics is required.