INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

PROPERTY MATTERS: How Property Rights Are Under Assault -- And Why You Should Care
(Book published by the Free Press, 1997)
A look at the current legal and political battles over the human right to own and use property. Topics include Intellectual Property (Chapter 15).

Mind Over Matter
(From Reason, June 1998)
In the Information Economy, intellectual property is bringing huge returns. But how will society split up the bounty? As one columnist says. "Capital is in surplus; skilled geeks are at a premium." Bet on the geeks.

Jail Break: Japanese Corporate Structure as an Antidote for Prisoner's Dilemma Problems
(Unpublished, 1996)
All organizations must deal with a class of problems called "Prisoner's Dilemma." These arise when continuing cooperation would be to the advantage of everyone involved (shareholders, employees, financiers, customers, suppliers, etc.) but when the structure of incentives makes cooperation difficult. The problems are particularly acute when dealing with intellectual property and employee knowledge. It is now fashionable to scoff at Japanese management, but they may have some important lessons to teach about handling these problems.

The Best Things in Life Aren't Free
(Expanded from the National Law Journal, March 10, 1997)
ASCAP vs. Girl Scouts, and why you might be better off if you wind up paying for those campfire singalongs.

Publishers Must Rewrite Their Rule Book
(From the Wall Street Journal, MANAGER'S JOURNAL column, December 22, 1997)
People are moaning about the sad state of the book publishing industry. Don't believe them. It is creative destruction, and both authors and readers are going to be better off.

LEADING LIGHTS: Author, James V. DeLong
(An interview with Britton Manasco of Knowledge, Inc., October 1998)
DeLong and Manasco explore the continuum between historic principles governing rights to physical property and current battles over intellectual property, including including digital piracy, patent laws, and dividing the rewards of the knowledge economy. For more interviews and analyses of these issues, go to Knowledge, Inc.