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Against Monopoly

defending the right to innovate

Monopoly corrupts. Absolute monopoly corrupts absolutely.





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Mark Helprin Confuses Real and Intellectual Property

He thinks copyright should last forever.

Mark Twain only wanted it for a million years.

A rebuttal is in order.


Comments

I don't think he does confuse real and intellectual property.

He confuses the privilege of copyright as an unjustly curtailed recognition of private ownership over all copies of a work.

However, the matter of ownership is already clear:

  • Private works of IP are privately owned.
  • Public works of IP are publicly owned.

Copyright is bad enough in 'briefly' suspending the public's liberty to enjoy its own property, but for Mark Helprin to suggest that he should be able to sell his property to the public and yet still own it seems to demonstrate a poor grasp of what makes a good bargain.


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