Sunday 1 May 2011

Jock Coates; against intellectual property rights

Via his own blog, I am directed to Mr Coates' piece at the Adam Smith Institute blog. Here's the first paragraph:
Intellectual property rights – better thought of as intellectual monopoly rights – are an unnecessary evil. They are unnecessary because all their stated, utilitarian aims can be achieved by other means. They are an evil because granting artificial rights to non-property restricts everyone else’s property rights. They are more likely to be used to stifle the creativity, innovation, and emulation that underpins technological and cultural advance; and they concentrate wealth and power in the hands of privileged non-creators more interested in milking selected others’ efforts.
Does he succeed in his case? Can he justify these opening assertions? Read on to discover...

3 comments:

Mark Wadsworth said...

Jock Coats is one of my proper libertarian mates, and altho' he hams it up a bit, he does have a point.

James Higham said...

Well, having read all that, I'm still confused.

Trooper Thompson said...

Mark, 'proper' in what sense? I suspect you of Anabaptist tendencies.

I think it's a signpost, James, to other more detailed snalysis.