Intellectual Property
Control over, and access to, knowledge determines how the benefits of scientific, technological, and other advancements are realized and distributed throughout our information society. How exactly does protection of intellectual property rights shape the global knowledge economy? Better understanding and then influencing the law of patents, copyrights, trademarks, secrets, and many related legal rules are among my top research priorities.

Featured Articles
Judging Intellectual Property Overlaps
How do judges draw lines between different intellectual property laws? Answers are in this research examining case law in the United States and Canada on the overlap of patents and plant breeders’ rights.
A Data Commons for Food Security
In this paper my co-authors Jeremiah Baarbé, Meghan Blom and I propose a ‘data commons’, formed through a licensing model that allows farmers to benefit from the datasets to which they contribute.
Featured Audio & Video
Jeremy de Beer discusses the smartphone patent wars on cbc radio
Latest Articles
Judging Intellectual Property Overlaps
How do judges draw lines between different intellectual property laws? Answers are in this research examining case law in the United States and Canada on the overlap of patents and plant breeders’ rights.
A Data Commons for Food Security
In this paper my co-authors Jeremiah Baarbé, Meghan Blom and I propose a ‘data commons’, formed through a licensing model that allows farmers to benefit from the datasets to which they contribute.
All Articles
Judging Intellectual Property Overlaps
How do judges draw lines between different intellectual property laws? Answers are in this research examining case law in the United States and Canada on the overlap of patents and plant breeders’ rights.
A Data Commons for Food Security
In this paper my co-authors Jeremiah Baarbé, Meghan Blom and I propose a ‘data commons’, formed through a licensing model that allows farmers to benefit from the datasets to which they contribute.
Intellectual Property Rights in the Recreational Cannabis Market
“Intellectual Property Rights in Recreational Cannabis: Craft or Commodity”, explores patents, trademarks, plant breeders’ rights, and legal measures to decriminalize and regulate cannabis.
CETA Shows Canada’s Need for an IP Strategy
My CETA testimony to the Senate Committee on International Trade highlighted how Canada can learn from the failure to strategize about intellectual property.
The Future of Intellectual Property
We start by laying out some “laws” of the futures, including this one by the legendary Jim Dator…
Evidence-based Intellectual Property Policymaking
One might assume that the global governance of IP rights rests on a solid foundation of evidence. Think again…
Canada’s Copyright Tariff-Setting Process
My empirical research findings deliver unique understanding of Canada’s tariff-setting procedures, enabling more informed debate about copyright issues…
Best Practices for Intellectual Property in International Trade Deals
Intellectual property provisions in international agreements should not be negotiated secretly, but transparently…
Innovation Appropriation: A Role for IP in the Informal Sector?
I was in Geneva recently to participate in a special session about innovation, IP, and the informal economy…
Present Thinking About the Future of IP: A Literature Review
The way we think about the future influences how we think and behave in the present. Truly informative work…