Feminist Methodologies and Intellectual Property

Abstract

Though intellectual property (IP) law is facially gender-neutral, the numbers do not add up, to put it lightly. This chapter discusses the ways that laws mediate the ways that creativity, innovation, and invention are commoditized, through a feminist lens. It maps evidence of sexism and discrimination against women in the context of patents, copyrights, and trademarks, and suggests mechanisms to measure and observe the material, legal and social constraints that disproportionately affect women authors and would-be authors. It suggests methods that can be deployed to evaluate gendered differences in the production and protection of IP, and invites readers to participate in this project.