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How Intellectual Property Laws Stifle Innovationmises.org/mises-wire/how-intellectual-property-laws-stifle-innovation
284 sats \ 6 comments \ @Undisciplined 31 Oct Politics_And_Law
By Zahra Mohebi
Supporters of intellectual property laws claim that people will not innovate unless they are protected by such legislation. In reality, people are more likely to be innovative when they encounter real free markets, not markets characterized by artificial scarcity.
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65 sats \ 4 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 31 Oct
Critics of IP reform often paint a doomsday scenario where innovation grinds to a halt without strong protections. However, history shows that human ingenuity flourishes when knowledge is freely shared and built upon. The Renaissance, for instance, was a period of explosive creativity and innovation long before the concept of intellectual property existed.
Innovation is important. Another example of stifling innovation is the situation with the steam engine and Watts. He held up any innovation in the steam engine for thee entire 20 years of his patent. Nobody could innovate on his machine. This is called lost opportunities.
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10 sats \ 3 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 31 Oct
Yeah, the steam engine is invented towards the beginning of the 1700's, as I recall, and it doesn't make a serious economic impact until almost the end of that century.
It's actually shocking how absent any evidence is to support IP.
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90 sats \ 2 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 31 Oct
Kinsalla attacks the IP situation every time he writes something. I believe he is a patent lawyer, too. He has a lot of good examples of stifling innovation. Innovation is also stifled by the narridigm. Did you know Einstein was a patent office clerk? He had several patents to his name, how do you think he got them? Working in the office, several disparate patents. Ahh……. Yes.
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10 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined OP 31 Oct
I'm a big Kinsella fan. He's probably my favorite Austrian school thinker, too bad he doesn't do it full time.
I knew about Einstein working in a patent office, but I didn't know he was a patent poacher.
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9 sats \ 0 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 31 Oct
Yes, he poached quite a few. That is what made him independently wealthy and able to do his theory.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @7e6e393a56 31 Oct
This is why reverse engineering is so commonly used.
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