The problem with monopolists is that they never rest. Just because an industry is working well, highly innovative and very profitable does not prevent the greedy from trying to garner monopoly under the guise of "fairness." Now the fashion industry is under attack...there is a nice article by Ed Lopez in the Freeman on the subject.

A follow-on email from Ed published with his permission:

David, Thanks! If you want more infuriation/motivation, check out the blog www.counterfeitchic.com by Susan Scafidi, the law professor who wrote the legislation and is giddily celebrating its passage of the Sen. Judiciary Cmte. Of course, Chuck Schumer came on board as lead sponsor in August only when he recognized the bill could ultimately pass. In tweaking the bill, he removed an important efficiency-preserving aspect of prior drafts: a registration requirement for designs to be protected. It's a really bad bill. I've been tracking the bill. It's on the Senate calendar but with all the other big issues going on this little guy keeps getting pushed aside. Glad to be in touch. Ed

Aristotle, Thales, the Oil Harvest, and Monopoly: "It indeed is, as we have said, generally gainful for a person to contrive to make a monopoly of anything."

It is the other way: because an industry is working well and very profitable, the monopoly is of great value.