Intellectual Property laws and Space Laws have different aims and purposes and present a prima facie challenge to each other. Owners of property produced by the human brain and inventions are granted rights known as Intellectual Property (IP) rights under the law. India’s legal framework caters to the following areas of intellectual property: Trade Marks, Patents, Copyrights, Industrial designs, Geographical indications, Layout designs of integrated circuits, Varieties of plant, and Data protection under various Acts. The owner of IP has the right to forbid others from utilising it.
The Space Laws describe space as the “province of all mankind.” Upholding the principles of international understanding and collaboration for the benefit of all is the aim of Space Law. Technological advancement and the commercialisation of space activities by private entities have increased concerns about IP rights in space. IP rights bring forward a number of important legal issues during space operations; these include ownership of rights, their violations, data protection, transfer and sharing. A number of complex issues pertaining to IP rights in Space operations have been examined in this volume. This book, containing 17 chapters, will be a valuable resource for academicians, legal practitioners, space industry executives and policy makers.