The intellectual property regime influences almost every sphere of economic life, having a significant impact on the protection and promotion of human rights. This succinct introduction gives a brief view of the long-standing issue concerning an intellectual property definition, as well as of its historical origins and evolutions, and of its fundamental fields of protection. The author provides a view on the relationship between intellectual property and human rigths that have for long been treated in virtual isolation from each other and investigates the fundamental international and regional provisions that have created an intersection between human rights law and intellectual property regimes. The book also includes the most relevant legal instruments on Intellectual Property and Human Rights.