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A glimpse at today’s shameful role of intellectual
property rights
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Prince Albert - Monday - January 24, 2005 - by: Mario
deSantis |
"We argue that not only would innovation thrive in the
absence of intellectual monopoly [intellectual property rights], but that we would
enjoy greater growth and prosperity in its absence."
Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine, Professors of Economics [1]
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One of American economic problems has been the increasing
privatization of its economic infrastructure and to its consequential regressive
changes to a Rental Economy which includes the making of money through intellectual
property rights. Congress has been informed recently that the U.S. has lost 1.5 million
jobs since 1989 because of increased trade with China.[2]
The U.S. experiences some $150 billion annual trade deficit with China and
therefore the Bush administration has been asking China to strengthen the
yuan so that the import of Chinese goods become more expensive while the export
of American goods become less expensive.[3] But the strengthening of the yuan would not have the
effect to critically reduce the trade gap since Chinese labour costs, in the order
of $1.00 per hour, are a fraction of the American costs and since the transformed
American Rental Economy, with a lower manufacturing sector,[4] cannot produce the
required goods to export to China.
What is incredible is that the U.S.-China trade deficits feeds the U.S. budget
deficit as China buys U.S. Treasury bills and bonds.[5]
As the multinationals have used the WTO’s (world trade organisation) protections
of their investments and intellectual property rights to move their production facilities
to China so globalization has slanted the economic playing field in favour
of investors and owners of intellectual property rights at the expense of American
jobs and wages.[6]
I am at a loss when I learn that American marketeers accuse China of unfair
trade practices as a major reason for the huge overall U.S. trade deficit which was
$60.3 billion for the last month of November.[7] For example, the U.S. Department
of Commerce has estimated that American companies, as a result of counterfeiting
and piracy, lose between $20 billion and $24 billion annually with China.
Yet, disregarding the abuses of the U.S. drug industry,[8] economist Dean
Baker has stated that the savings the government and consumers would have experienced
in 2,000, if prescription drugs had not been subject to patent protection (ie. intellectual
property rights), would have been between $72.8 and $89.6 billion.[9]
Intellectual property rights must be changed as to allow a more competitive and innovative
global market place and especially so to allow the economic take off of poor countries
which are currently strangled by foreign debt repayments.[10]
In my own province of Saskatchewan, we have lawyers who have been furthering
the privatization of their work by invoking their fictional intellectual property
rights.[11] It is a shame that today we must stifle innovation and creativity
with the legal protection of twisted and fictional intellectual work.
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Mario deSantis
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References: |
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1.
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Boldrin, Michele and David K. Levine Against
Intellectual Monopoly 2004,(pdf) Chapter 1: Introduction, Page 4
http://www.dklevine.com/papers/ip.ch.1.m1004.pdf
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2.
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Thornton, Philip Congress told 1.5m jobs lost to China January 12, 2005 The Independent,
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/story.jsp?story=599987
(subscription required) |
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3.
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CNN.com U.S. to press China over piracy January 10, 2005
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/01/09/china.trade.ap/index.html |
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4.
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Roach, Stephen Global:
The Dollar Can’t Do It Alone January 14, 2005 MorganStanley,
http://www.morganstanley.com/GEFdata/digests/20050114-fri.html |
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5.
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Ariff, Mohamed Global impact of US economic woes January
17, 2005 The Star Online
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/1/17/business/9869898&sec=business |
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6.
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Mekay, Emad S Dragon's
'giant sucking sound' jolts US January 13, 2005 Asia Times
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/GA13Ad07.html |
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7.
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Fishman, Ted C. Manufaketure
January 9, 2005 New York Times,
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2005-January/019289.html
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8.
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Tansey, Bernadette Concerns
over safety undermine FDA : Serial upsets over drugs on the market depress pharmaceuticals
December 26, 2004 San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/26/BUG16AFILT1.DTL&type=printable |
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9.
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Baker, Dean and Noriko Chatani Promoting
Good Ideas on Drugs: Are Patents the Best Way? October 11, 2002 CEPR
http://www.cepr.net/promoting_good_ideas_on_drugs.htm |
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10.
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Democracy NOW The
Debt Threat: How Debt is Destroying the Developing World January 13, 2005
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/13/1455234 |
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11.
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Letter dated January 14, 2004 directed to Mario
deSantis from lawyer Gregory Willows, Regina, Saskatchewan. Mr. Willows claims the
status of "without prejudice" and "copyrights" for this unusual
letter. |
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News
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This page is a story posted on Ensign and/or Saskatchewan
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Editor : Timothy W. Shire
Faster Than Light Communication
Box 1776, Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, S0E 1T0
306 873 2004
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