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Against Monopoly

defending the right to innovate

Monopoly corrupts. Absolute monopoly corrupts absolutely.





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"...we are all the Grateful Dead"

Paul Krugman has a good column today in the New York Times about how technology is undermining the monopoly formerly known as intellectual property. He uses the example of the Amazon Kindle and notes the parallel between digital downloads of books and music. In noting that Charles Dickens made money from book tours, he overlooks the fact that Dickens was front and center in the copyright monopolists' battle against the "pirates." He also might have noted that, contrary to legend, Dickens was paid royalties by three American publishers, including Harper & Brothers.

As he puts it, "in the long run we are all the Grateful Dead"--even if the Dead did sue Wolfgang's Vault for copyright infringement.

Here is the article.


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