The Relationship Between Outer Space Activities And Intellectual Property Laws

Abstract

Up until 1957, space travel was largely unknown to humans. Before then, it was beyond their grasp. By launching Sputnik-I, an uncrewed spacecraft, into space in October 1957, the USSR became the first nation to explore space. Next year, the US adopted a similar strategy to the USSR. When it launched the first manned satellite into Earth's orbit in 1961, it made history. Space technology has developed significantly since then. The admission of several governmental and non-governmental organizations into space exploration has propelled advancements in space activities and created a fantastic opportunity for understanding, discovering, and inventing. It has changed drastically during the last couple of decades or so. It is important to note that the processes of privatization and commercialization have followed and changed the very direction of these endeavours. As a result, recent developments have made it possible for the operations that call for the developers' intellectual property rights to be protected. International law has generally held that no State may exploit space for its purposes; space research and exploration must serve the interests of humanity rather than the self-serving interests of the State, and it is founded on the idea of "res communis."

However, the primary focus of international intellectual property law is territoriality. Problems may arise if national law is applied to actions taken in regions covered by international law but where no one has sovereign powers or authority. This essay will provide a broad overview of the international legal frameworks about intellectual property and space operations