Discussions on Open Knowledge

September 9, 2013 2:25 AM

I'd love if anyone could please recommend any good discussions on Open Knowledge. I'm interested in both pro and con - but would especially like to read counter-arguments or discussions on limitations, e.g. the benefits of Intellectual Property etc.
posted by beccyjoe to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Not sure if this is what you mean, but you could try this essay and this reader.
posted by nerdfish at 2:54 AM on September 9, 2013

Best answer: Wikipedia: intellectual property
Wikipedia: Open Knowledge

Using your search engine of choice, you might explore results of "copyleft vs copyright".

For instance:
Rufus Pollock: The Value of the Public Domain
Johan Soderberg: Copyleft vs copyright: a Marxist critique

Both the above look at the pros and cons
posted by Mister Bijou at 3:39 AM on September 9, 2013

More pros and cons: Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) aka Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act aka Sonny Bono Act aka the Mickey Mouse Protection Act
posted by Mister Bijou at 4:00 AM on September 9, 2013

I have found Bill Patry to be one of the clearest writers on this topic. Chapter 3 of How to Fix Copyright is called "what is copyright supposed to do?" and would go a ways towards answering your questions about the benefits of intellectual property laws.

(Note that I'm suggesting one of his popular books or essays, not his overwhelmingly dense seven volume treatise on U.S. copyright law.)
posted by Wretch729 at 11:17 AM on September 9, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! Great links. The Rufus Pollock essay was great. I'm still exploring the other recommendations. I also found that the wikipedia page on Patents provided additional pro-intellectual property arguments not listed elsewhere.
posted by beccyjoe at 4:54 AM on September 11, 2013