European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Joseph Stiglitz on IP

by Laurent GUERBY
Wed Sep 13th, 2006 at 07:20:39 AM EST

An interview on Liberation:

[...] La propriété intellectuelle est-elle la face cachée de la mondialisation ?

Les déséquilibres de ce régime de droits exclusifs sont parmi les pires déviances du capitalisme actuel. Parce qu'il est question de vie ou de mort, comme on le voit dans la lutte pour des copies de médicaments à bas prix. Les hommes ou les brevets ? La faute originelle : avoir laissé aux ministres du Commerce et aux multinationales le soin de façonner les trips [en français, Adpic aspects des droits de propriété intellectuelle touchant au commerce , ndlr], en 1994. La PI est intégrée au commerce, pas à l'environnement ni aux normes de travail. [...]

Is intellectual property the hidden face of globalisation?

Unbalances of this regime of exclusive rights are amongst the worst excess of today's capitalism. Because it's a question of life and death, as we see in the fight against drug low cost copies. Man or patent? The mistake: having let trade ministers and multinationals shape alone TRIPS, in 1994 IP is integrated with trade, not environment or worker protection norms. [...]

Note that he escapes the question of what he did when he was close to power and all those treaties were negociated back then. Interesting read nonetheless.

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Joseph Stiglitz on IP | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Joseph Stiglitz on IP (4.00 / 2)

It seems pretty clear to me that the whole intellectual property situation, like the string theory situation, is ripe for a paradigm shift. It is simply not realistic to classify every single high school and college student, and most adults, in the entire world, as criminals. Which is what the RIAA and friends want to do.

My church, to take one small example, was unable to make copies of the music from their own bought-and-paid-for hymnals, for use in outdoor services this summer, because of the ridiculous copyright laws. The system is simply broken, and at some point the idiot lawyers and their corrupt politician friends will have to be forced to deal with it.

by asdf on Wed Sep 13th, 2006 at 09:43:25 AM EST

Re: Joseph Stiglitz on IP (none / 1)

It's pretty clear that the political price paid is currently very high for this totally junk, ineffective and corrupt system, it is unlikely to continue much further as it now affects in practice everyone in everyday life.

by Laurent GUERBY on Wed Sep 13th, 2006 at 01:25:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joseph Stiglitz on IP (none / 1)

Here is something I have been meaning to write a diary on, guess it will be a longish comment instead.

As most are aware I am a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden (anti-IP, pro-privacy), the was formed on the first of January.

Since then has not only the swedish Pirate Party gained more members then the green party (we passed 9000 today, btw) but there has also started Pirate parties in other countries. The Pirate Party International now has ten member parties, and there is a bunch more starting up in the forum. Most of these are situated in european countries but other parts of the world are also represented.

Sure, you can look at most of these parties and say that they are small and weak, but you should account for the little time that has passed. Regardless of how Sundays elections in Sweden goes I believe we have started something big.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Wed Sep 13th, 2006 at 01:38:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joseph Stiglitz on IP (none / 1)

I wish you luck :). For now, the Pirate Party organiser in France do not wish to go out of their anonymity, so it's a big no for me until the situation changes. I've been funding the eucd.info initiative through donations to the FSF France (with lots coming from ... tax breaks as indicated). Yesterday I was at a meeting organized by the Parti Socialiste at the French parliament and everyone was clearly impressed about what happened during the DADVSI law discussions, it broke a number of "first". Christian Paul, PS MP, said he was very happy to say that people wrote to him (two thousands emails instead of the average 20) and said they were happy to see real politics going on! The outcome is a very bad law, but with no chance of being applied, so mixed. All parties have promised to go back to the drawing board, we'll see...

by Laurent GUERBY on Wed Sep 13th, 2006 at 06:01:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joseph Stiglitz on IP (none / 0)

For now, the Pirate Party organiser in France do not wish to go out of their anonymity, so it's a big no for me until the situation changes.

I hope it changes soon. One of the things we have had success with in Sweden is building a positive identity as pirates. We wear clothes with the print Pirat, pirate flags and similar items. And we use our own names when arguing for our politics. The simple point is that there is a million file-sharers (pirates) in Sweden alone and if we refuse to be scared, if we proclaim ourselves as pirates and proud, we become a political force. A lot of this work has been prepared by Piratbyrån that since 2003 has been propagating for the right of filesharers.

The french pirates needs to say "we are here, we are proud and we are Pirates".

We have shifted a lot of Swedish parties in the questions regarding filesharing. When it comes to surveilliance we have not been as succesfull, but we have shifted some minor parties to a more radical stance in defense of privacy.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Thu Sep 14th, 2006 at 09:04:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joseph Stiglitz on IP (none / 0)

"we are here, we are proud and we are Pirates"
Slogan for Pirate pride parade? "Pirate pride parade" rolls quite nicely of the tongue, eh? Say is fast 3 times!

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Thu Sep 14th, 2006 at 11:23:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joseph Stiglitz on IP (none / 0)

Also of interest for french readers Du bon usage de la piraterie by Florent Latrive, book with full text available online.

by Laurent GUERBY on Thu Sep 14th, 2006 at 03:04:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Joseph Stiglitz on IP | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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