http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=1129
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 Science, Ethics and Innovation. Both were highly critical of today's patent system, saying it stifles science and innovation. IP is often compared to physical property rights but knowledge is fundamentally different, Stiglitz said. It is a public good with two attributes - "non-rivalrous competition" and non-excludability - meaning it is difficult to prevent others from enjoying its benefits. That runs counter to IP regimes, which are worse than exclusion because they create monopoly power over knowledge that is often abused, he said. Patent monopolies are believed to drive innovation but they actually impede the pace of science and innovation, Stiglitz said. The current "patent thicket," in which anyone who writes a successful software programme is sued for alleged patent infringement, highlights the current IP system's failure to encourage innovation, he said. [...] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
