Intellectual Property and Consumer Laws: Conflicts, Crossroads, and Solutions

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) talk about the exclusive monopoly of the holder. Although IPRs may appear to be a part of product development, holistically, it is much more than just that. The regime of intellectual property also dictates the aftermath of the launch of the product. In fact, consumer products uniquely cross into all areas of intellectual property. While the IPRs help consumers in buying quality products, they also ensure protection from the use of substandard products which may cause health and safety hazards. In this regard, one of the essentials of IPRs is also to protect consumers from deceit and confusion. In this perspective, the paper argues that even though the interplay of consumers and IPRs is not very apparent, protection against unfair competition, which is recognized as one of the main objectives of the intellectual property system, demands greater attention. Here, the proper operation of IPRs and their enforcement plays a significant role. The paper concludes that the consumer being the nucleus, demands careful evaluation of IP policies, their management, and the deployment of auxiliary strategies.