All Posts Tagged With: "patent law"
Do Patents Encourage or Hinder Innovation? The Case of the Steam Engine
Today one of the most controversial issues in economic policy is that of patent law. Is a patent just an extension of property rights to the realm of ideas? Or is it an unwarranted interference by the government into the rights of individuals?
1Dec2008 | Michele Boldrin, David K. Levine, and Alessandro Nuvolari | 37 comments | ContinuedPatently Unnecessary?
The idea that government should issue patents for inventions is odd on its face. How can someone claim an exclusive right in a “practical application” of nature’s principles? Of course, an inventor can have a right to an object. But a right to bar others from using the application embodied in that object? That’s hard [...]
1Apr2006 | Sheldon Richman | 1 comment | ContinuedRights in Ideas Infringe Rights in Tangible Property
Ilana Mercer is a freelance editorial columnist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Prior to the U.S. Court of Appeal’s decision in the Napster case, all indications were that the parties to the litigation were adjusting to a reality in which copyright might become a thing of the past. TVT Records, one of the largest U.S. [...]
1Jul2001 | Ilana Mercer | 21 comments | Continued-
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