Preliminary work on the law of intellectual property protection in science and Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s participation in the process

Abstract

According to many intellectuals, in Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s time the intellectual property in science did not have sufficient protection. As a result, an idea originated in France to adopt a law and an international convention exclusively devoted to the protection of scientific property, called droit du savant. The article focuses on the efforts undertaken by the French and international scientific community in this area. It also discusses the social, economic and political context of the efforts to establish the law and put it into force. The author’s attention is focused on Maria Sktodowska-Curie’s participation in the process. As it turns out, she was not only an eminent scientist conducting studies on radioactivity but also an efficient and competent organizer of research work on an international scale.