Introduction

• Author: Rémi Lallement
• Profession: Charge of Mission (policy analyst), France Stratégie, France
• Pages: 11-16

Introduction

“Therefore, we need to move beyond the simple idea of closure

that excludes opening, the simple idea of opening that excludes

closure […] like in the idea of frontiers, as a frontier is both what

allows and prevents passage, what closes and what opens” (Edgar

Morin, La Méthode – Tome 1: La nature de la Nature, Le Seuil, Paris,

1977).

Intellectual property has clearly become a key factor for innovation

processes in the complex chain, starting with the creation of new ideas

and ending with the launch on the market of the goods or services that

may derive from them. It plays a primary role in the promotion or

channeling of innovation in every decentralized market economy

where public authorities are not necessarily in the best position to

orient innovation efforts towards socio-economic needs. The legal

framework and the relevant institutions play an increasingly

significant role as a regulation instrument, supplementing the market

mechanisms.

Moreover, evidence suggests that in recent times owning and using

intellectual property is playing a more significant part in the strategies

of innovative companies and, similarly, issues of intellectual property

have come to the fore of the political agenda concerning innovation

policies [WIP 11].

However, the crucial role of intellectual property is ambiguous and

often very controversial. Intellectual property is not a simple indicator

of innovation capacity. In this field, more does not necessarily mean