[lbo-talk] Intellectual property rights, free trade, and free markets

[ken hanly]

 I have often been been puzzled by the fact that most defenders of capitalism and free markets are also firm defenders of  Intellectual Property rights. These rights ensure that companies and authors have monopolies and run counter to the spread of ideas and competition among companies in free markets. The whole idea is to prevent competition.
   Free trade agreements are less about free trade than intellectual property rights. To join the WTO a country must as a condition agree to TRIPS which protects intellectual property rights. Some libertarians seem to realize the contradiction involved. Do leftist economists have much to say about this?
   The enclosed video with libertarian Stephan Kinsella argues that IP rights are incompatible with free market capitalism. Although much of this is somewhat nauseating there are also some bright spots. Kinsella points out that patents derive from letters patent granting certain rights issued by a monarch usually. Some of the first letters patent were given to pirates such as Francis Drake that allowed him and others to plunder Spanish ships and share in the loot with the monarch. Ironically modern protections of patent and copyright laws are called anti-piracy laws. Kinsella points out too that copyright arose as a form of censorship. However perhaps it is just a case of again legalizing "good pirates" to take back exclusive control of what should belong to everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWShFz4d2RY&feature=player_embedded

Cheers, ken

Blog:  http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html
Blog:  http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html