Alexandra George
Senior Lecturer
BA(Hons), LLB(Hons), LLM(Hons), MJur(Hons) (Sydney); GDLP (College of Law); PGCAP (London); PhD (ANU)Contact details
- Room:
- 321 Law Building
- Phone:
- 9385 9626
- E-mail:
- a.george@unsw.edu.au
Brief overview
Dr Alexandra George joined the UNSW Law Faculty in September 2007, having had earlier academic appointments at Queen Mary, University of London, the University of Wales, Swansea and the University of Exeter in the UK. She has also worked at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy and at the University of Sydney, has practised as an intellectual property and media lawyer, was Associate to Justice MF Moore in the Federal Court of Australia and the Industrial Relations Court of Australia, and worked in journalism at Reuters.
Alexandra's research focuses on the philosophy of intellectual property law, particularly with respect to the notion of ‘property’ in intangible objects and the communicative effects of trade mark and copyright law. Her publications examine issues such as commodification and intellectual propertisation, the role of intellectual property in the globalisation process, hot issues in intellectual property (such as access to essential medicines, ownership of the genome, and bioprospecting/biopiracy), and practical problems of intellectual property enforcement.
Her new book Constructing Intellectual Property (Cambridge University Press) examines the ways in which the legal system defines into existence and regulates intellectual property. By analyzing the metaphysical structure of intellectual property law and the concepts the legal system uses to construct 'intellectual property', the book helps to explain the role of intellectual property from a structural -- rather than the traditional normative -- perspective.
Courses taught
Areas of expertise
- Intellectual Property (esp. copyright, trademarks, intellectual property theory, and issues in international intellectual property and globalisation);
- Applied Legal Philosophy / Legal Theory / Jurisprudence.
Alexandra is happy to supervise research theses in these areas.
Professional memberships and affiliations
Res Publica - Editorial Advisory Group member.
Admitted to practice as a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of NSW and Barrister/Solicitor of High Court of Australia (federal jurisdiction)
2011-2012 Solicitor's Practising Certificate, NSW.
Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors (IP Corps)
International Trademark Association (‘INTA’)