Commissioned for the festschrift in honor of Professor Annette Kur of Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, this book chapter recognizes her important contributions to the intellectual property field. Specifically, it explores her role as an intellectual property structural engineer extraordinaire and her lifelong quest for a coherent intellectual property system.

This chapter draws illustrations from two of her edited books, Intellectual Property Rights in a Fair World Trade System and The Structure of Intellectual Property Law. It also touches on structural concepts that are essential to the development of intellectual property law, such as foundation, floor, ceiling, frame, space, architecture and construction plan. The chapter concludes by noting Professor Kur’s confidence and positive attitude towards reforming the existing intellectual property system from the inside.