The development of a legal apparatus for the protection of property rights has evolved in tandem with the evolution and expansion of industrial society. One aspect of this development has been the emergence of a legal apparatus for intellectual property protection – a notoriously vague and often intangible area, but one that nevertheless encompasses copyright, patent, and trademark law. This trend has seen not only the consolidation of intellectual property protection at the national level, but also the emer- gence of a transnational, and increasingly global apparatus. Regional and world organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), European Union (EU), World Trade Organization (WTO), and Organization for Economic.
