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The economic impact of intellectual property rights: An overview and guide

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Abstract

This paper, adapted from a conference presentation in Venice, links the history of intellectual property protection to two important trends in this field: (1) the ‘shifting baseline’, from a presumption of no property rights and open competition, to the presumption that all intellectual effort deserves the award of a property right; and (2) growing awareness of the ‘political economy’ of these rights, which legislators can create and strengthen with little direct effect on government budgets. The paper also considers a shift in the scholarly emphasis, from the ‘brand question’ of the overall worth of intellectual property to defailed consideration of individual doctrines and rules.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boalt Hall School of Law, U.C. Berkeley, 97420, USA

    Robert P. Merges (Professor of Law)

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  1. Robert P. Merges
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Merges, R.P. The economic impact of intellectual property rights: An overview and guide. J Cult Econ 19, 103–117 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01074200

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