Against intellectual monopoly

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Michele Boldrin: Against intellectual monopoly (2008, Cambridge University Press)

298 pages

English language

Published Aug. 30, 2008 by Cambridge University Press.

ISBN:
978-0-521-87928-6
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OCLC Number:
187300457

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3 stars (1 review)

'Intellectual property' — patents and copyrights — have become controversial. We witness teenagers being sued for 'pirating' music — and we observe AIDS patients in Africa dying due to lack of ability to pay for drugs that are high priced to satisfy patent holders. Are patents and copyrights essential to thriving creation and innovation — do we need them so that we all may enjoy fine music and good health? Across time and space the resounding answer is: No. So-called intellectual property is in fact an 'intellectual monopoly' that hinders rather than helps the competitive free market regime that has delivered wealth and innovation to our doorsteps. This book has broad coverage of both copyrights and patents and is designed for a general audience, focusing on simple examples. The authors conclude that the only sensible policy to follow is to eliminate the patents and copyright systems as they currently exist.

3 editions

Not very good

3 stars

Some interesting takes. Unfortunately the authors present a lot of questionable "evidence" that is mostly anecdotal and often outdated. For example, they argue that the book market in the 19th century worked fine with no copyright laws, and use that as "proof" that today's copyright laws are hindering the free market. I also don't like the name-dropping where the authors use quotes from famous people to prove their point, e.g. "According to Bill Gates - hardly your radical communist or utopist - 'if people had understood how patents would be granted when most of today's ideas were invented, and had taken out patents, the industry would be at a complete standstill today.'" I could not finish the book because it got tedious. Most arguments were heavily biased and the rhethoric was often questionable.

Subjects

  • Intellectual property -- Economic aspects
  • Competition
  • Monopolies

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