JOLT, the UCLA Journal of Law and Technology has published Current Intellectual Property Issues in Nanotechnology (via BizzBangBuzz).

Whilst the article discusses the USA’s 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, it also identifies the principal IP issues affecting nanotechnology.

A key quote:

"Some day, when nanotechnology assemblers can manufacture nearly any object on-site using inexpensive materials, intellectual property may become the only valuable property right. The
blueprints for constructing such objects will also likely be of considerable value. Although to date intellectual property rights in nanotechnology has focused on patents and trade secrets, in the future
intellectual property in software and designs are likely to become far more valuable. Additional copyright issues may arise around the creation of exact molecular replicants of works of art or artifacts. What are the implications of exact atomic copies of the Mona Lisa in every home? How would people recognize original art? Eventually, copyright law may supplant patent law in regards to nanotechnology products."

Nanotechnology in Australia