[B]ecause of generalized and ever extended patenting, pharmaceutical companies have grown accustomed to operate like monopolies. Monopolies innovate as little as possible and only when forced to; in general they rather spend time seeking rents via political protection while trying to sell at a high price their old refurbished products to the powerless consumers, via massive doses of advertising....say Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine in their book, Against Intellectual Monopoly (chapter 9). Their case is compelling as far as I can see, and it is against patents (for their own book as well as for drugs and other "intellectual property").
I intend to read their book, and also the monograph Against Intellectual Property by the libertarian Stephen Kinsella. In my mind, there can be no justified reason to hold ideas sealed behind a veil of "property rights" that the State has imposed in order to protect big business. Now I need to get familiar with all the arguments. Wish me luck?
1 comment:
Góða skemmtun, segi ég!
Gaman að því hvernig þessar tvær bækur massa orðtakið
"Intellectual Property Is Neither Intellectual (Boldrin & Levine),
Nor Property (Kinsella)".
Þarf að ræða það frekar? :)
Post a Comment