Steven Landsburg has the right idea: “Whatever is the defining idea of the next decade, it ought to be free. Come to think of it, the idea that ideas ought to be free could well be the defining idea of the next decade.” He continues, stating what is increasingly obvious: “once an invention enters the public domain, it gets used more widely and generates more wealth.”
But then he endorses the peculiar solution of Michael Kremer of patent buyouts. Government should buy patents and place the technology in the public domain. My goodness, if we think we have a problem now with patent filings, can you imagine the result if government effectively subsidizes them only to put them into the public domain? This sounds like a recipe for one of the great central-planning fiascoes of all time.
In other words, the proposal makes some sense, except in reality.
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I was thinking something similar last night. A one time, mass buyout. And then abandonment of all IP law. Wait, IP law abandonment first, then the buy out. Coupled with an empty treasury and an abandonment of taxation, END THE FED, and freedom may gain a foothold again.
While the IP system has its warts (and arguably creates more costs for society than benefits), it is infinitely better than publicly funded R&D, since the social costs only come into play when they are applied to products that people want to buy. By contrast, publicly funded research costs society even if no one wants to buy the product produced.
Of course, the choice between our current IP system and “publicly funded R&D” does leave out the correct option, which is no “system” at all.
haha, Benjamin Franklin would never agree to that… what’s the point of having a State if you can’t use it to benefit few at the expense of many?
Now, if some private citizens concerned with IP law decided to strategically buy out certain patents they thought were important and then release them into the public domain, I’d be grateful. But when someone suggests that we use other people’s money to hand monopoly profits to companies and individuals who were already given incredible IP powers, then that’s a completely different matter.
That idea seemed to work out just fine for Rearden Metal…
He was forced to give the document stating how Rearden Metal was given to the government, and the government used the buying of the document as a cover for its blackmail.
“Government should buy patents and place the technology in the public domain.” What if the government buys the patent then refuses to put it in the public domain? Silly! That would never happen, right?
If the only reason for IP is for the government to buy successful IP, why not remove the monetary barrier and just remove IP?
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