Timothy B. Lee, adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute, a contributor to Ars Technica, and blogger at Forbes.com, discusses the recent patent wars and the prospects for reform. Over the last two decades, large software companies like Microsoft and Apple began acquiring a significant number of patents, gaining the power to shut down or demand payment from any software company that might inadvertently infringe those patents. Lee talks about Google’s entry into the patent game, particularly with the acquisition of Motorola. He also discusses the theory behind these patent wars and how the use of patents have been altered from incentives for innovation to a litigation shield. Finally, Lee talks about different proposals for patent reform, including a first to file scheme that is part of the America Invents Act.

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Related Links

• “Mostly pointless patent reform bill goes to Obama for signature”, Ars Technica
• “Specialist Patent Courts Are Part Of The Problem”, Forbes.com
• “Google, Motorola and the Patent Wars”, The Wall Street Journal

Timothy B. Lee, PhD candidate in computer science at Princeton University and fellow at Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, discusses a variety of issues.  Lee parses new net neutrality nuances, addressing recent debate over prioritization of internet services.  He also discusses wireless spectrum policy, comparing and contrasting a strict property rights model to a commons one.  Lee concludes by weighing in on potential software patent reform, referencing Paul Allen’s wide-ranging patent-infringement lawsuits and the Oracle-Google tiff over Java patents.


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Related Links

• Bottom-Up, Lee’s long-form blog about, among other things, technology policy
• The Durable Internet: Preserving Network Neutrality without Regulation, by Lee
• “Why Business Should Oppose Net Neutrality”, by Robert Litan and Hal Singer
• “Good Spectrum News from the Obama Administration”, by Jerry Ellig
• “Paul Allen’s Lawsuits: What’s up With That?”, at PC World

Adrian Johns, professor in the Department of History at the University of Chicago, expert on the history of science and the history of the book, and author of the new book, Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Guttenberg to Gates, discusses the history of intellectual property and piracy.  He discusses origins of copyright law in London, the first pirates, and today’s digital piracy.  He also addresses the future of books and potential tipping points that could prompt changes in copyright law, citing the Google Books project and pharmaceuticals in the developing world.


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Related Links

• Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Guttenberg to Gates by Adrian Johns
• Yo, Ho, Ho, and a Digital Scrum, review of Piracy by The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Piracy as a business force by Adrian Johns