What do the Mona Lisa, the light bulb, and a Lego brick have in common? The answer - intellectual property (IP) - may be surprising, because IP laws are all about us, but go mostly unrecognized. They are complicated and arcane, and few people understand why they should care about copyright, patents, and trademarks. In this lustrous collection, Claudy Op den Kamp and Dan Hunter have brought together a group of contributors - drawn from around the globe in fields including law, history, sociology, science and technology, media, and even horticulture - to tell a history of IP in 50 objects. These objects not only demonstrate the significance of the IP system, but also show how IP has developed and how it has influenced history. Each object is at the core of a story that will be appreciated by anyone interested in how great innovations offer a unique window into our past, present, and future.

Part I. Introduction: Of People, Places, and Parlance Claudy Op den Kamp and Dan Hunter; Objects: Part II. The Pre-Modern Period: 1. Goryeo celadon Hee-Kyoung Spiritas Cho; 2. Murano glass vase Stefania Fusco; 3. Mona Lisa Andrea Wallace; 4. Tempesta map of Rome Jane C. Ginsburg; Part III. The Age of Invention: 5. Hogarth engraving Michael Punt; 6. Lithograph Amanda Scardamaglia; 7. Morse telegraph Adam Mossoff; 8. Singer sewing machine Lionel Bently; 9. Uncle Tom's Cabin Peter Jaszi; 10. Corset Kara W. Swanson; 11. A. G. Bell telephone Christopher Beauchamp; 12. Light bulb Stef van Gompel; 13. Oscar Wilde portrait Megan Richardson; 14. Kodak camera Jessica Lake; 15. Kinetoscope Peter Decherney; 16. Deerstalker hat Ronan Deazley; 17. Paper print Claudy Op den Kamp; Part IV. Modern Times: 18. Player piano roll Maurizio Borghi; 19. Champagne Dev S. Gangjee; 20. Steamboat Willie Peter Decherney; 21. PH-lamp Stina Teilmann-Lock; 22. Climbing rose Brad Sherman; 23. Penguin paperback Stuart Kells; 24. Ferragamo Wedge Marianne Dahlén; 25. Aspirin pill Catherine Bond; Part V. The Consumption Age: 26. Bell transistor Beth Webster; 27. Oral contraceptive pill Melanie Brown; 28. Photocopier Jessica Silbey; 29. Elstar Apple Jeroen Scharroo; 30. Chanel 2.55 Jeannie Suk Gersen; 31. Lego brick Dan Hunter and Julian Thomas; 32. Barbie doll Dan Hunter and Greg Lastowka; 33. Coca-Cola bottle Jacob Gersen and C. Scott Hemphill; 34. Zapruder film Brian L. Frye; 35. Audiotape cassette Robin Wright; 36. Action figure Jason Bainbridge; 37. RAM-chip Jake Goldenfein; 38. Football Michael J. Madison; Part VI. The Digital Now: 39. Polymer banknote Tom Spurling; 40. Post-it note Stavroula Karapapa; 41. Betamax Julian Thomas; 42. Escalator Megan M. Carpenter; 43. 3D printer Dinusha Mendis; 44. CD Matthew David; 45. Internet Jonathan Zittrain; 46. Wi-fi router Terry Healy; 47. Viagra pill Graham Dutfield; 48. Qantas skybed Mitchell Adams; 49. Mike Tyson tattoo Marie Hadley; 50. Bitcoin Primavera De Filippi.