Intellectual Property Rights in Islam: A Perspective

In this paper we seek to assesses the stance of Islamic perspective with respect to Intellectual Property Rights. The significance of tackling this issue at this particular time is that there have been increasing calls in Western societies for the implementation of Sharia in their own western Territories. The paper aims to situate the argument within the course of criminal protection of shari'a protection of intellectual property Rights, so as to prove that intellectual Property Rights, are one aspect of Shari'a which do not conflict with the western principles of protection. The paper assesses the extent to which the Islamic law and its sophisticated tools have an impact on the protection of Intellectual Property. First it Presents the sharia's main sources, The Quran, Sunnah, Ijma and Qiyas. Then it presents the Islamic laws Supporting, protecting and enforcing the Intellectual property Rights. The arguments presented in this paper reveal that a Sharia based system is flexible and adoptable and that is this flexibility is to be used in order to face eonomic reality.