The importance of intellectual property rights (IPRs) has grown enormously in recent years and intangible assets currently account for over 80% of the enterprise value of S&P500. Such importance is being reinforced by the main ongoing geopolitical trends: the digital revolution and the widespread application of artificial intelligence, the rise of China as a global superpower, the trade frictions between China and the United States, the global supply chains decoupling and other effects of the Covid-19 pandemics such as the return of economic nationalism in most parts of the world including Europe. A good understanding of intangible assets, IPRs and data, the protection granted to them by the different jurisdictions worldwide, the national and international policies and corporate strategies regarding them is increasingly essential to any future entrepreneur, manager, official, lawmaker or diplomat. This course is aimed at providing the foundations of IPRs, IPR politics and geopolitics. After having been taught the principles, students will learn the essentials of how to protect, use and monetise these important intangible assets. Students will become familiar with the best practices in this field and will learn how to adapt such practices to different industries, countries, companies' developmental stages and business scenarios.
Learning Outcomes
Understand the basic principles of intellectual property, intangible assets, data and more broadly the so-called “knowledge economy”;
1. Detect the companies' main intangible assets, their possible qualification as IPRs and the different forms of protection they can receive under international and national regulations;
2. Analyse the economic, political, social and legal factors affecting the development of IPRs in a given jurisdictions and their effects on innovation and economic growth;
3. Evaluate the political and geopolitical implications of international and national IPRs regulations and policies;
4. Appreciate the specificities of data (personal and commercial) within the context of IPRs and analyse critically how different jurisdictions worldwide have dealt with their protection.
5. Articulate the optimal strategies and policies government, firms and innovators can adopt to extract benefits from IPRs.
Professional Skills
1. Written and oral communication: communicating in writing and orally opinions and analyses;
2. Advocacy: communicating, conveying, and defending positions, as well as understanding the reasons behind the opposite ones;
3. Teamwork: collaborating with classmates in the preparation of IPR plans, both from a public (i.e., governments and international organisations) and private (i.e., firms, entrepreneurs and inventors);
4. Investigation: conducting - with respect to IPRs, data and other intangible assets - critical inquiries on political, economic and business phenomena based on reliable data and evidence;
5. Understanding the impact of multiculturalism: understanding how cultural, social and historical factors impact the way governments and economic players deal with IPRs and data;
6. Project management: looking at problems and current affairs issues from an original perspective, reflecting independently;
7. Basic finance: mastering the financial aspects of IPRs and data, understanding how to assess their value and the public and private strategies to maximise such value;
8. Entrepreneurial spirit: detecting the professional and business opportunities offered by IPRs and data, identifying how to leverage on such opportunities developing entrepreneurial projects (broadly defined).
- Online learning activities: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
- Reading and Preparation for Class: 4 hours a week / 48 hours a semester
- Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester