Can the Restrictive Boundaries of Intellectual Property Create a Larger Social Impact?

This note highlights broad societal concerns associated with the intellectual property (IP) system and presents illustrative case examples to show how firms can address such concerns to fulfil their corporate social responsibility while simultaneously enjoying exclusivity obtained through IP rights. IP-specific initiatives taken by mission-oriented private organizations suggest that if designed and exercised consciously and wisely, stronger and efficient IP policy systems can act as a powerful tool to realize better societal outcomes to achieve social sustainability.