In The Oxford Introductions to U.S. Law: Intellectual Property, prominent intellectual property scholar Dan Hunter provides a precise, engaging overview and careful analysis of current laws of intellectual property and their history. Hunter first focuses on the central areas of intellectual property law, including copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secrets. He then explores the politics, economics, psychology and rhetoric of possession and control that influence and interact with this area of law. Hunter explains how intellectual property has contributed greatly to the innovations that we, as a society, need in our modern lives. He also describes ways in which the expansion of intellectual property can reduce innovation by stopping others from implementing great ideas or producing new work. Hunter helps readers think about modern intellectual property in a way that allows them to see how innovation and progress are linked to intellectual property law, and how small changes in the laws have had significant consequences for our society. Ultimately, Hunter helps readers form their own views about the various areas within the arena of intellectual property.


Dan Hunter is a Professor of Law at New York Law School. He is an expert in internet law, intellectual property, and artificial intelligence and cognitive science models of law. He holds a Ph.D. from Cambridge University on legal reasoning, computer science and law degrees from Monash University (Australia) and an LL.M. from the University of Melbourne. He regularly publishes on issues dealing with intellectual property law, including the regulation of virtual worlds, artificial intelligence, and high technology. He received a Fulbright Fellowship, an American Council of Learned Societies Research Fellowship, a Herchel Smith Research Fellowship in Intellectual Property Law, and a Science Commons Fellowship. Dennis Patterson is Professor of Legal Theory and Legal Philosophy at the European University Institute, Firenze.