Re: Re: Re: Re: Notes on a talk I will give on Wed.

[JKSCHW@xxxxxxx]

Michael, I expect better from you.

<< Ken,

If the production of knowledge is left to the profit maximizing corporations, then
they probably need something like a patent in order to induce them to do
anything.

Patents are a lot older than that, of course, and are protected in the Constitution.

> However, knowledge and information are inappropriate candidates for
commodity status because of the difficulty of enforcing profit rights.

Oh, yeah? Let me introduce you to some patent lawyers I know. The standards are no fuzzier than those that establish property rights in real estate or tangible personal property.

>As Kenneth
Arrow, among others, has shown, the idea of markets implies some rationality, but
rationality implies that consumers are informed.  But to be informed about
information is equivalent to owning that information.

So, if I am informed that Microsoft has a program that will do, which I want to do, I own the program?

--jks