Dr Janice Denoncourt BA, LLM, GAICD, PhD, FRSA, SFHEA, Fellow RSA

Associate Professor of Law

Dr Denoncourt is an interdisciplinary legal researcher focussing on company law, corporate governance, reporting, environmental law, finance, innovation, intellectual property (IP) rights, intangibles, AI, technology and socio-legal economic law. She draws on academic and law practice experience as general legal counsel and as a company director. Externally rated as 4* (world-leading) her research monograph Intellectual Property, Finance and Corporate Governance (2018) was entered into UK REF 2021 C18 Law submission. She has co-hosted international conferences with Swedish and Indian institutions featuring UKIPO, EU, WIPO and IFRS keynote speakers. Over the course of her academic career, she has been awarded extensive external and internally awarded funding for research and academic activities. She is the author of Unlocking Innovation, Creativity and Intellectual Property Law (2026) Routledge, forthcoming.

Law

Law

Responsibilities within the university

Co-Programme Leader LLB (Hons) Law in Practice; Co-module Leader LLM Patent and Designs, Co-module Leader LLM Copyright and Trade Marks, Co-Module Leader LLM Business Ethics; Tutor Equity & Trusts Law

Awards
  • Special Mention’ Best Contribution to the Theory and Practice of Intangibles, Intellectual Capital and Sustainability, J. Denoncourt, ‘From Ideas to Socio-economic Justice: A Role for Intellectual Property Rights Experts in Statutory Financial Audits’, 21st Interdisciplinary Conference on Intangibles, Sustainability and Value Creation: Reporting, Management and Governance, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (September 2026)
  • Global Women’s Innovation and Inventors Network (GlobalWIIN) Honorary Special Appreciation Award Contributions to Past Judging Panels (2025)
  • Prix de la Délégation générale du Québec à Londres (2023)

Recognition
  • Solicitor in England & Wales
  • Barrister and Solicitor, Western Australia
  • Judge, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) International Negotiation Competition (2006-2010)
  • Registered Australian Trademark Attorney
  • UK Endorsement Board (UKEB) Appointed for a 3-year term to the Academic Advisory Group (AAG) inaugural UK Endorsement Board (UKEB), contributer to the Intangibles Research Project
  • Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)
  • Reserve Legal Officer, Royal Australian Navy Reserve
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts
  • British Council Chevening Scholar

Research / Scholarly interests

My research investigates the conceptual framing of socio-economic justice in relation to intangible asset and corporate governance mechanisms using a variety of methodologies. The socio-economic intellectual property rights (IPR) justice focus is located squarely in Article 7 Trade Related Agreement on Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) whose raison d’etre is the need to foster technological and cultural development which provides such intangible monopoly rights must be conducive to social and economic welfare and lead to a balance of rights and obligations. Article 7 expresses how a community uses shared goals and priorities to achieve socio-economic outcome-oriented public values such as economic justice and prosperity. Socio-economic justice addresses many shortcomings when applying economics to law. At the macro level my research supports market integrity and investigates broader negative social consequences. I evaluate social practice involving intangible assets such as intellectual property rights influenced by legal frameworks and the professional practice to enhance public accountability. My research has been recognised by the accounting, finance and legal community as it advances intellectual understanding of intangible assets and opens new directions for socio-legal scholarship especially in the field of sustainability reporting.

Key funded projects

  • Prix de la Délégation générale du Québec à Londres, £1,500 as Principal Investigator
  • Economic Research Council (ERC) funded project Patents as Scientific Information (PASSIM) Int. Society History and Theory of IP (1895-2020) £2000 ‘Patents as Capital: Prioritising corporate patent information’
  • Norwegian Industrial Patent Office, Oslo, Norway £1000 honorarium ‘IP Valuation and Technology Readiness Levels’
  • European Patent Office (EPO) Munich, Germany £2000 to act as Rapporteur European Progress Congress 2017, Dissemination of IP Knowledge in Universities, ETH University, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Legal Education Foundation, UK £19,961 Co-Investigator Project: ‘Creating Tomorrow’s Commercial Lawyers’ a collaborative project with Queen Mary University (London) Centre for Commercial Law Studies
  • Fondation Aix-Marseille Université Chair d’Innovation et Brevets £800
  • UKIPO StudentshIP Enterprise Award 2015 £24,980 Principal Project Lead & Author IP Awareness publication
  • Kyushu University, Japan £880 travel grant ‘IP finance in the EU and beyond…does law matter?’
  • UK Intellectual Property Office Fast Forward 2014 Competition £69,000 Nottingham Creative IP Project as Co-PI
  • European Patent Office/European IP Teachers Network (2010-2016) £5000
  • Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University, UK £6400 Bursary

Recent publications
Books
  • Denoncourt, J. Intellectual Property, Finance and Corporate Governance. Routledge Taylor & Francis, UK (hardcover, 1st ed., 2018; softcover edition, 2020). ISBN: 9780367591410.
  • Denoncourt, J. Intellectual Property, Finance and Corporate Governance (Chinese translation). China Intellectual Property Publishing House (IPPH), January 2023. ISBN-10: 751308064X. Chinese translators: Shuanghuang Wu, Ke Zhang and Siyu Qiu.
Published Journal Articles and Chapters (Peer-Reviewed)
  • Denoncourt, J. Part II Reporting and Disclosures on Intangibles, Chapter 19: "Corporate Governance, ESG and Sustainability: the Underexplored Role of 'Green' Trade Marks". In: Zambon, S. and Girella, L. (eds.), Handbook on Intangibles: Accounting, Reporting and Valuation. Edward Elgar, 2026, pp. 326-348. ISBN: 978103530636.
  • Denoncourt, J Chapter, From Ideas to Economic Justice: the Role of Independent Auditors and IP Rights Experts In: Orit Fischman-Afori (Ed.) Theory and Practice in a Dynamic Reality (2026) Edward Elgar ATRIP Book Series, open access, in press.
  • Denoncourt, J. Unlocking Innovation, Creativity and Intellectual Property Law Routledge Taylor-Francis, HB 9780367679835, PB 9780367679095 EB 9781003133643, in press.
  • Denoncourt, J. "Transparent Corporate Beneficial Ownership: Québec and the UK Compared". Journal of International Comparative Law (2025) 12(1), pp. 117-140. Sweet & Maxwell, Hong Kong. ISSN: 2313-3775.
  • Shaaban, E. and Denoncourt, J. ‘Capitalizing IP-Trademarks as Security: The Canadian Trademark Finance Perspective’ (9 December 2024) LAWS MDPI Vol.13(6), p79, Special Issue: Intangible Corporate Intellectual Property Rights Assets:  Finance and Governance for Sustainability Transitions (ISSN 2075-471X). Open access.https://doi.org/10.3390/laws13060079
  • Denoncourt, J. Part III, Chapter 15: "Seeking and Hiding: Corporate Disclosure Norms, Nonfinancial Technology Information and the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) System". In: Mahonen and Pihlajarinne (eds.), Rethinking the Role of Intellectual Property Rights in the Post Pandemic World: An Integrated Framework of Sustainability, Innovation and Global Justice. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023, pp. 320-345.
  • Denoncourt, J.  Chapter 10 Integrating Sustainability into Intellectual Property Education In: Jacques, S et al (eds) Teaching Intellectual Property: Strategy and Management (21 June 2023) Part III Developing a multi-disciplinary approach, Elgar Guides to Teaching,  Edward Elgar UK ISBN 978 180088 099 3
  • M. Okyere (60%) and J. Denoncourt (40%), ‘Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Ghana's Kente Textiles: A case for Geographical Indications’ (April-May 2021) Vol. 16 Issue 4- 5, Oxford Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, Oxford University Press, Special double issue on geographical indications, pp415-426
    • Denoncourt, J. Part I Chapter 4 ‘Company classification taxonomy and corporate intellectual property rights owners’ in: D. Gervais (ed.), The Future of Intellectual Property in ATRIP Intellectual Property Series(2021) Edward Elgar Publishers, ISBN: 978 1 80088 533 2
  • Denoncourt, J. 'Supporting Sustainable Development Goal 5 Gender Equality and Entrepreneurship in the Tanzanite Mine-to-Market’ in Sustainability (MDPI) (1 April 2022) 14(7), 4192; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074192
  • Denoncourt, J. "A Modern Role for Intellectual Property in Sustainable Finance, Prudential Banking and Capital Adequacy Regulation". In: Rognstad and Orstavik (eds.), Intellectual Property and Sustainable Markets. Edward Elgar Publishing, Intellectual Property and Global Development Series, 2021.
  • Denoncourt, J. Chapter 19: "Patent-Rich Firms and Corporate Restructuring: Patent Signalling, Valuation and Governance". In: Gant, J. (ed.), Research Handbook on Corporate Restructuring. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781786437464.
  • M. Szarkiszjan and J. Denoncourt, ‘Japanese Trade Mark Law and Benrishi: Preparing for Tokyo 2020’ GRUR International: Journal of European and International IP Law (March 2020) Vol. 69, Issue 3, pp329–338, https://doi.org/10.1093/grurint/ikaa028,  Oxford University Press.
  • Denoncourt, J. Part II Economic Aspects of Fairness, Chapter 7 ‘Corporate Intellectual property, Governance and Board Effectiveness Reviews in Large and Premium Listed UK Companies’ In: D. Gervais (ed.), Fairness, Morality and Ordre Public in Intellectual Property (2020) ATRIP Intellectual Property
  • Denoncourt, J. "Companies and UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure". Cambridge Journal of Corporate Law Studies (2019) 20(1), pp. 199-235. DOI: 10.1080/14735970.2019.1652027.
  • Denoncourt, J., Part 6, Chapter 20 Intellectual Property Rights In: Business Law (4th ed.) (2019) Routledge
  • Denoncourt, J., Chapter 1 ‘IP Debt Finance and SMEs: Revealing the Evolving Conceptual Framework Drawing on Initiatives from Around the World’ in Toshiyuki Kono (Ed.) Security Interests in Intellectual Property: Perspectives in Law, Business and Innovation (2017) Springer Verlang Singapore ISBN-10: 9811054142
  • Denoncourt, J.  ‘The English Dual Registration System for Taking Security over Patents and the Pathway to Reform’ In: J. Gant (Ed)INSOL Europe Academic Forum Warsaw (2017) Conference Proceedings.
  • Denoncourt, J. ‘True and Fair Intellectual Property Information: A Corporate Governance  Issue’ [2016] Journal of Business Law, Issue 1, pp47-72, December 2016 Bound Volume,  Hardcover, Sweet & Maxwell
  • Denoncourt, J. Q&A Intellectual Property (4th ed. 2016) Routledge Taylor Francis, London
  • Denoncourt, J. Intellectual Property Notebook (2016) Nottingham Trent University Publications, Nottingham ISBN 978-0-9931112-2-8
  • Denoncourt, J. et al The Nottingham Intellectual Property Guide for Creatives (2015) Nottingham Trent University Publications, Nottingham, 143 pages ISBN 978-0-9931112-2-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-0-9931112-1-1 (ebk)
  • Denoncourt, J.  ‘The Creative Identity and Intellectual Property’ (2016) Vol. 25 Nottingham Law Journal pp39-55, ISSN 0965-0660
  • Denoncourt, J. Legislation Commentary ‘Reform to the UK Company Registration of Charge Scheme, The Companies Act 2006 (amendment of Part 25) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/600)’  (2013) Nottingham Law Journal Vol 22, pp 138-140.
  • Denoncourt, J., Q&A Business Law 2012-2013, (2nd ed.) Routledge Taylor Francis, London
    • P. Mann (60%) and J. Denoncourt (40%), 'Copyright issues on the protection of architectural works and designs'  In: 25th Annual Conference of Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) ) (2009)

Presentations
  • India UK International Virtual Intellectual Property Conference : Co-organiser, in collaboration with Panjab University (Chandigarh, India) and the NLS IP Research Group (May 2022).
  • Protecting Africa's Global Cultural Heritage with IP: Co-organiser, international virtual event hosted by the NLS IP Research Group. Keynote speaker: Professor Edward KwaKwa, Assistant Director-General, Global Challenges and Partnerships, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (May 2021).
  • IP Strategy for FinTech Start-ups and SMEs : Co-organiser, World IP Day international virtual event co-hosted by the NLS IP Research Group, IP Awareness Network and the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) (April 2021).