Category Archives: Intellectual Monopoly Privileges

How to tax the platform economy?

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Paul Frijters

In the engine room of nation states, ie the tax departments, the coming battle with platform providers is taking shape. Uber, airbnb, facebook, linkedin, ebay, jobseek, and a myriad of specialised platform providers facilitate micro-trades that are largely untaxed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Death and taxes, Economics and public policy, Employment, Information, Innovation, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Intellectual Property, IT and Internet, Law, Political theory, Politics - international, Politics - national, Public and Private Goods, regulation, Social | 20 Comments

Let’s have another World War!

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Paul Frijters

Sometimes, it feels like 1910 all over again. Then, a confident Germany was the up-and-coming industrial power house, fearing an even more up-and-coming Russia, with the UK and France desperately holding on to their colonial empires. Now, a confident China … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullshit, Business, Climate Change, Cultural Critique, Death and taxes, Democracy, Economics and public policy, Employment, Environment, Ethics, Geeky Musings, Gender, History, Humour, Immigration and refugees, Indigenous, Inequality, Information, Innovation, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Journalism, Media, Miscellaneous, Music, Philosophy, Political theory, Politics - international, Politics - national, Public and Private Goods, Race and indigenous, regulation, Religion, Science, Social, Social Policy, Society, Sport-general, Theatre, Travel | 5 Comments

Information and the structure of institutions: W. H. Hutt edition

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Nicholas Gruen

Fredrick Hayek was onto something fundamental in stressing the centrality of information flow to economic functioning. But because his consuming passion was on the (undoubted) evils of Soviet-style central planning, ‘the market’ always figured as the deus ex machina, a kind of all-purpose get out of jail card for solving … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Information, Innovation, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges | 11 Comments

Hoisted from comments: Copyright, the Google Settlement and torching the second library of Alexandria

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Nicholas Gruen

One of the privileges of access to what we cool kids call the “back end” of Troppo is that when I write a long, long comment, in an old thread that has taken a new direction, I can make it … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Geeky Musings, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Intellectual Property, IT and Internet, Political theory | 54 Comments

The free rider problem – and opportunity: you heard it first at Troppo

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Nicholas Gruen

Well I’ve been going on and on about it, but here’s an academic paper contrasting the free rider problem and opportunity. Knowledge Properties and Economic Policy: A New Look By Antonelli, Cristiano (University of Turin) This paper explores the full range of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Information, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Intellectual Property, IT and Internet | 1 Comment

Getting beyond woeful: my submission to the PC’s inquiry on Intellectual Property

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

From a quick squiz at their report, the PC seems to have done an excellent job on the question of IP. It didn’t put too much effort distorting its recommendations to somehow second guess what was politically palatable and just … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Innovation, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Intellectual Property | 10 Comments

Keeping intellectual property safe from Mickey Mouse diplomacy

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Nicholas Gruen

Here’s my column from today’s SMH, Age and Brisbane Times. WHAT are Australia’s strategic interests when negotiating with other countries on the extent of intellectual property (IP) rights – for instance, the duration and strength of patents and copyright? It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Intellectual Property | 6 Comments