The basic framework of the intellectual property (IP) regime aims to “close down access to knowledge” rather than allowing its dissemination, Professor Joseph Stiglitz said at a 5 July lecture on “Who Owns Science?” Stiglitz, a 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics, and Professor John Sulston, a 2002 Nobel Laureate in Physiology/Medicine, launched Manchester University’s new Institute for Sci

The Obama rule against software patents; studies suggest intellectual monopolies are harmful

A not-so-overly-alarmist reminder of how monopolies are taking over society using self-serving laws and establishments, including the patent office

The heartwarming story of Ecuador, the political opposition to software patents in New Zealand, and areas where patents stomp on people's lives

The so-called reform, which was proposed as an Easy Fix™ to be applied to the USPTO, has always been rather impotent. It kept the problems in tact where intellectual monopolies could benefit and perhaps harmed some of the smaller players, including the patent trolls

"Eric S. Maskin has just been awarded the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, often called Nobel Prize in Economics. [...] But Eric S. Maskin may be known to readers of this blog for another reason. He is the co-author of the landmark 2000 Bessen-Maskin paper on the relationship between sequential innovation, patents and investment in R&D.

A defense of software patents backfires in the eyes of some; more news about the harms of intellectual monopolies

When you think of world peace, besides the obvious response by Miss Universe contestants, worthy Laureates come to mind such as Kofi Annan, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. Some sectors of the Internet would like to see Linus Torvalds added to the list.

Scientific study supports what everyone already knows - that intellectual monopolies reduce pace of progress