TY - JOUR

T1 - The Venetian moment : new technologies, legal innovation and the institutional origins of intellectual property.

AU - May, Christopher

PY - 2002/6

Y1 - 2002/6

N2 - The role of the Venetian republic in the history of intellectual property is not well known although the innovations which were later codified into law by the British Crown, and which are usually regarded as heralding the age of intellectual property, were first developed a century before in Venice. This article explores these precursors to the more commonplace understanding of the origins of intellectual property law, and draws some parallels between the current debates about property in knowledge and the time of its first formal emergence some 500 years ago.

AB - The role of the Venetian republic in the history of intellectual property is not well known although the innovations which were later codified into law by the British Crown, and which are usually regarded as heralding the age of intellectual property, were first developed a century before in Venice. This article explores these precursors to the more commonplace understanding of the origins of intellectual property law, and draws some parallels between the current debates about property in knowledge and the time of its first formal emergence some 500 years ago.

KW - Intellectual Property

KW - Patents

KW - Venice

KW - Printing

KW - Strategic Trade Policy

U2 - 10.1080/08109020210138979

DO - 10.1080/08109020210138979

M3 - Journal article

VL - 20

SP - 159

EP - 179

JO - Prometheus

JF - Prometheus

SN - 0810-9028

IS - 2

ER -