logo

Against Monopoly

defending the right to innovate

Monopoly corrupts. Absolute monopoly corrupts absolutely.

Admin
Statistics

All Authors

John Bennett

Michele Boldrin

Monopoly Buster

Daniel Dobkin

Paul Grootendorst

Alistair Kelman

Stephan Kinsella

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

first last

David K. Levine

Justin Levine

Andrea Moro

Meera Nair

Michael Perelman

Sheldon Richman

Marcus Salomonsson

Keith Sawyer

Stephen Spear

Bill Stepp

William Stepp

William Stepp

Christian Zimmermann





All Topics

Against IM

Against Monopoly

All The News That Is Not Fit To Print

Apple's patents

Blocking Technology

Blog Spam

Blogroll

business method patents

Competition

Copyright

Copyright Sellouts

Corruption

Culture and IP

DRM

Drug patents

Ease of Imitation

Fair Use

Financial Crisis

Financial Patents

gene patents

Google Book Contract

Innovation

Intellectual Monopoly

Intellectual Property

IP and Economics

IP and Protectionism

IP and Religion

IP as a Joke

IP as Censorship

IP Bullying

IP History

IP Hypocrites

IP in the News

IP Law

IP Outrages

IP versus Research

Is IP Property

John Bennet

Leftism and IP

Libertarian Perspectives

Monopolistic Competition

Net Neutrality

Open Publishing

Open Source

Open Thread

Orphan Works

Other IP Type Rights

Patent

Patent Lawyers

Patent Madness

Patent Trolls

Patents

Patents (General)

Pharmaceutical Patents

Philosophy of IP

Piracy

Plagiarism

Politics and IP

Privacy and Government Intrusion

Propaganda

Public Goods and IP

Right of Publicity

Science and IP

Software

Software Patents

The IP Wars

The Last Mile Monopoly

The Music Police

The State and IP

Trademark

User Innovation

Was Napster Right?

World Book and Copyright Day


Blogroll

Anything Peaceful

Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom

Digital Productions

Ed Felten

Free Association

Gaming with Free Software

Google Patent Search

Intellectual Footprint

Larry Lessig

Mises Blog

Moving to Freedom

Patently Silly

Recording Industry vs. The People

Research on Innovation

Techdirt

The Open Knowledge Foundation

Trolltracker

rufuspollock.org

Copyright Notice: We don't think much of copyright, so you can do what you want with the content on this blog. Of course we are hungry for publicity, so we would be pleased if you avoided plagiarism and gave us credit for what we have written. We encourage you not to impose copyright restrictions on your "derivative" works, but we won't try to stop you. For the legally or statist minded, you can consider yourself subject to a Creative Commons Attribution License.

current posts | more recent posts

The Abandonment Problem

One of the problems with copyrighted software is that if the copyright holder disappears no one can legally take over maintenance of the software - potentially leaving the paying customers with unusable data. One of the competitive advantages that open source software [more precisely free software as in GNU, BSD license] has, particularly for small firms, is that it provides the customer with a guaranteee that they can take over maintenance of the software. The abandonment problem is a real one.

In a different context it is in the news today that a complex series of events resulted in the disappearance of 3000 websites, including in some cases, years of data. Even if the data is eventually returned, they will return to a different web address, meaning that any readership accumulated at the old address will be lost. A similar event took place when CNET purchased mp3.com and dumped years of accumulated music. The bottom line is - for the individual protection of "intellectual property" does not take place through copyright - it takes place by making sure that you keep copies of your own data and that you own your own web addresses.

[Posted at 06/15/2004 09:05 PM by David K. Levine on IP in the News comments(0)]

Recent Analysis of Intellectual Property Wrongs

Why copyright extension is a bad idea, and why economic growth reduces the social benefits of patents

[Posted at 08/31/2003 06:14 PM by David K. Levine on IP in the News comments(0)]

Was Napster Right?

An article in the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank magazine, The Region by Douglas Clement based on Boldrin & Levine's analysis of intellectual property. Reprinted in Reason Online, also see the Slashdot thread on our book and on the Reason article, and the discussion at the Library of Economics and Liberty.

[Posted at 04/15/2003 08:58 AM by David K. Levine on Was Napster Right? comments(0)]

Is Intellectual Property Property?

A lawyers view of intellectual property. Including some interesting observations about industries that do not have recourse to intellectual "property."

[Posted at 08/05/2002 06:35 PM by David K. Levine on IP in the News comments(0)]

Your Government at Work

The PPPP: from stupidity to criminal insanity. What next? A law authorizing the RIAAto assassinate anyone they suspect of "piracy?"

[Posted at 08/04/2002 06:15 PM by David K. Levine on Was Napster Right? comments(4)]

Review of The Case Against Intellectual Property

The Case Against Intellectual Property at economicprincipals.com

[Posted at 07/21/2002 06:28 PM by David K. Levine on Against IM comments(0)]

Views of Piracy

An author's view: Just the facts ma'am.

A performer's view: "when someone writes and tells me they came to my show because they'd downloaded a song and gotten curious, I am thrilled!"

A producer's view There are pirates out there...

[Posted at 05/27/2002 06:38 PM by David K. Levine on IP in the News comments(0)]

current posts | more recent posts


   

Most Recent Comments

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:40 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:40 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:39 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:39 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:39 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:38 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:38 AM by Anonymous

How To Buy Tramadol Online Legally? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:37 AM by Anonymous

How To Buy Tramadol Online Legally? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:37 AM by Anonymous

How To Buy Tramadol Online Legally? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:37 AM by Anonymous

How To Buy Tramadol Online Legally? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:37 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

Dr. Who? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

An analysis of patent trolls by a trademark lawyer 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

Dr. Who? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

Dr. Who? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

Dr. Who? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:34 AM by Anonymous

How To Buy Tramadol Online Legally? 555
at 05/16/2026 04:32 AM by Anonymous

Book List

Boldrin and Levine Against Intellectual Monopoly

Stephan Kinsella Against Intellectual Property

The IP Policy Wiki