John Perry Barlow – Intellectual Property, Information Age

Barlow, John Perry. “Intellectual Property, Information Age.” Copy Fights:  The Future of Intellectual Property in the Information Age. Eds. Thierer, Adam and Wayne Crews. Washington, D.C.: Cato Institute, 2002. 37-43. Print. Barlow begins by noting that since the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 the consolidation of media content and capital has coalesced around five large institutions that control the majority of the world’s... Read More

Barlow – The Next Economy of Ideas

Barlow, John Perry.  “The Next Economy of Ideas.”  Wired.  October 2000.  Print This piece is a reflection on the Napster case and its effects on the information economy. A core claim that Barlow makes here is that “The free proliferation of expression does not decrease its commercial value.  Free access increases it, and should be encouraged rather than stymied. The first use of “DotCommunism” appears in this article. Another chief... Read More

Barlow – The Economy of Ideas

Barlow, John Perry. “The Economy of Ideas.” Wired 1994. Print. Barlow is confronting the problem of digitized property:  “If our property can be infinitely reproduced and instantaneously distributed all over the planet without cost, without our knowledge, without its even leaving our possession, how can we protect it?  How are we going to get paid for the work we do with our minds?  And, if we can’t get paid, what will assure the... Read More