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Monday, December 01, 2008

Public Domain Examined

Intriguing book by James Boyle: The Public Domain, Enclosing the Commons of the Mind. Available for reading or downloading online free. The author believes that providing the book free will create a buzz that increases actual sales of the book. I have heard heard that this has happened in some cases, but certainly not all. Will look for the statistics.

It is about the opening of intellectual property rights. Here I have mixed feelings, having been on both sides of the fence. In the midst of reading. " ... introduces readers to the idea of the public domain and describes how it is being tragically eroded by our current copyright, patent, and trademark laws. In a series of fascinating case studies ... "

Chapter 2 covers some of the views of Thomas Jefferson on patents and intellectual property. Covers recent topics like mash ups and the implications of the Internet. James Boyle is a professor of Law at Duke. Although somewhat academic in style, appears to be a good read for those interested in the topic.

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