Intellectual Property and Corporate Social Responsibility: Legal and Ethical Considerations
Keywords:
Intellectual Property, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical Licensing, Innovation, Access to MedicineAbstract
This article explores the intersection of Intellectual Property and Corporate Social Responsibility, highlighting the legal and ethical dimensions businesses face in aligning innovation with social accountability. While IP rights incentivize innovation, they may also lead to ethical challenges such as limited access to medicine, patent trolling, and cultural access issues. Legal frameworks like TRIPS shape global IP norms but may conflict with equitable public interests. The paper emphasizes how companies can use IP responsibly to support sustainability, ethical licensing and collaborative innovation. By integrating CSR principles into IP strategies, businesses can foster inclusive growth, social welfare and long-term value creation for stakeholders and society.
References
World Trade Organization (WTO). (1994). Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Retrieved from https://www.wto.org
World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Access to Medicines and the TRIPS Agreement. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/intellectual-property-and-access-to-medicines
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). (2021). IP and Business: Corporate Social Responsibility and Intellectual Property. Retrieved from https://www.wipo.int/ip-development/en/agenda/
Maskus, K. E. (2000). Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy. Washington, DC: Institute for International Economics.
Reichman, J. H. (2009). Rethinking the Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Development. In Research Handbook on the Protection of Intellectual Property under WTO Rules. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Drahos, P., & Braithwaite, J. (2002). Information Feudalism: Who Owns the Knowledge Economy? New Press.
Kapczynski, A., & Shanker, S. (2014). Access to Medicines: Intellectual Property, Innovation, and the Global Health Crisis. Stanford Journal of International Law, 53(1), 1–40.
Bessen, J., & Meurer, M. J. (2008). Patent Failure: How Judges, Bureaucrats, and Lawyers Put Innovators at Risk. Princeton University Press.
Carroll, A. B., & Shabana, K. M. (2010). The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 85–105.
United Nations Global Compact. (2019). Intellectual Property and Responsible Business. Retrieved from https://www.unglobalcompact.org/
Creative Commons. (n.d.). About the Licenses. Retrieved from https://creativecommons. org/licenses/
Love, J. (2011). Measures to Enhance Access to Medical Technologies, and New Methods of Stimulating Medical R&D. World Health Organization Technical Briefing.
Osei-Tutu, J. (2018). CSR and IP: The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in IP Management. Journal of Business Ethics, 153(4), 1041–1055.
