Against Intellectual Monopoly (Hardcover)

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Review
'One should bear a heavy burden of proof to enjoy a monopoly. Boldrin and Levine have dramatically increased that burden for those who enjoy intellectual monopoly. All economists, lawyers, judges, and policymakers should read this book.' W. A. Brock, University of Wisconsin, Madison

'Boldrin and Levine, highly respected economic theorists, have produced a lively and readable book for the intelligent layman. In it, they challenge conventional wisdom about patents and argue that we would be better off without them. The book will open a fresh debate on the policy on intellectual property protection.' Boyan Jovanovic, New York University

'There is a growing and important skepticism about the fundamental rules we have used to regulate access to information and innovation. This beautifully written and compelling argument takes the lead in that skeptical charge.' Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School

'For centuries, intellectual property rights have been viewed as essential to innovation. Now Boldrin and Levine, two top-flight economists, propose that the entire IPR system be scrapped. Their arguments will generate controversy but deserve serious examination.' Eric Maskin, Nobel Laureate, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

'This is an important and needed book. The case made by Boldrin and Levine against giving excessive monopoly rights to intellectual property is a convincing one. Monopoly in intellectual property impedes the development of useful knowledge. I think they make the case that granting these monopoly rights slows innovation.' Edward C. Prescott, Nobel Laureate, University of Minnesota

'Boldrin and Levine present a powerful argument that intellectual property rights as they have evolved are detrimental to efficient economic organization.' Douglass C. North, Nobel Laureate, Washington University in St. Louis

'How have we come to view ideas as if they have some physical existence that we can lock up behind a set of property rights laws akin to, but remarkably different from, those we use to protect our physical property? This is the central question in Against Intellectual Monopoly by Michele Boldrin and David Levine. The answer they come to is startling: except in a few rare cases, intellectual property protection does more economic harm than good and ought to be eliminated. The technology of digital computers and the Internet, as Boldrin and Levine show again and again, has exposed long-standing moral shortcomings of current intellectual property laws in a particularly stark way.' Stephen Spear, Carnegie Mellon University

Product Description
‘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.

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1 Review 5 star:  (1) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars This is an important book about serious economics. Please read it. , 13 Jan 2009 By  A. Bucio "Andres" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Nobel prizes help the purpose of exposure, not exposure of the authors, but of what they have been doing. The contents of this book justify a very high level of exposure. It should be listed as essential read in many courses at universities today and time will tell whether it becomes a classic or simply a groundbreaking piece, or perhaps nothing. Its topic is that relevant, that powerful. Accessible to a wide readership (it has a fancy red cover), its rigorous depth and vivid logic is enough to challenge the conventional wisdom of most professional economists, let alone lawyers. Along with many other interesting papers produced by Michele Boldrin and David Levine (all available online) their new-born book constitutes perhaps one of the most seriously grounded, intelligent, urgently needed critiques to the excessive and costly attention paid to dubious and yet highly influential theories advocating 'endogenous growth' 'new growth' 'new economics','a knowledge economy' and so on, emerging from the minds of Stanford economist Paul Romer, Grossman & Helpman and others. We have been witnessing the forceful impact of such theories in public policy and in business for quite a while now. The importance of the work behind 'Against Intellectual Monopoly' can only be appreciated through its context within economics and not without a fair amount of patience, so please bear with one or two sketchy highlights. At various points of his career, Nobel laureate Robert Solow has referred to Paul Romer's attempts to 'endogenise' economic growth in a model as attempts requiring 'far from innocent knife-edge' and 'Santa Claus' type of assumptions... 'one is asked to believe that one of the key parameters in [Romer's] model just happens to be determined so that there can be steady endogenous growth'. At some point Solow describes Romer's growth-rate fundamental premise as 'asking for a lot, actually asking for something much more special, more arbitrary than one might at first suspect'.(1) Such remarks by a Nobel laureate to one of the most influential economist today are not gratuitous. Romer seems to envision a type of 'techno-ecological utopia' where natural ecosystems are eventually partially or totally replaced by the 'creativity' of human proprietary 'designs' and innovations, all of which are 'driven by technological change that arises from intentional investment decisions made by profit-maximizing agents and through intellectual monopoly power (2). This power may be granted either by states, by technology or by both. Reflecting on the implications of it all, one is forced to accept that this may not be but the view of someone with slightly fanatic and ideological tendencies. The problem is, such view seems to have been too well protected behind the language and mathematical equations of economics. Romer's views may also be protected by powerful stakeholders who like to see themselves as having 'no option' but to trust and have faith in such theories and translate that faith into policy and investment decisions of the highest possible order. Yes, all in the name of 'the knowledge economy'. Endogenous growth theory's powerful influence on decision makers during the last two decades, coupled with dense nebulous mystery about the way it is expected to work for the economy in the long-run, resembles from time to time the church of scientology and its 'misterious leader' Xenu (who was kept in absolute secrecy until the internet came). The truth however, is that economic theory guiding policy is a more serious matter and no critique today, including Solow's polite critique has been efficient at uncovering endogenous growth REALITY in public. The problem at this stage is perhaps too ubiquitous and has already altered the life of too many people and institutions worldwide. What has been missing is a major reframing operation based in the empirical inputs of reality (and away from radical beliefs presented in the form of 'economic science') The reason why Boldrin and Levin's work is IMPORTANT is because they provide the first such empirical reframing operation via a consistent, detailed book, which unexpectedly also happens to be good fun. They have appealed to an essential and 'economically relevant unit of analysis' in case we are serious about doing serious 'economics of knowledge'. Their proposed unit of analysis is the humble 'copy of an idea' concept, no less; which once the reader grasps, it unfolds a clearer picture of what is wrong with the current conceptual underpinnings of a knowledge-based economy. It also shows where this economic drama will lead should it remain spuriously, irresponsibly unquestioned. Surprisingly enough, the primary objective of the book seems to go beyond a mere critique of intellectual monopoly. It is indeed a formal call to replenish contemporary culture through the true innovating power of free compretition and free cooperation. For that to happen we need to encourage private property and discourage intellectual monopoly. Fair enough. In the process the authors generously provide key concepts and analytical tools for intelligent thinking in a sea of scientific misery in economics and the economic profession. Please read it. ---------------------------- References -Solow, R.M. (2000) Growth Theory: An Exposition Oxford University Press -Romer, P.M. (1990) Endogenous Technological Change, Journal of Political Economy, 98(S5) Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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