Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology
Over at Convergences I consider the writings of Polk Wagner, beginning thus: Polk Wagner has written some worthwhile papers on law and technology. I heartily recommend those that support points on which we agree, such as The Perfect Storm: Intellectual Property and Public Values, 73 Fordham L. Rev. 1107. 2005. This paper notes how the [...]
Over at “Convergences,” I write on the origins of the idea of a “public option” for health insurance. In part, I note: At a superficial level, the “public option” for health care is both appealing and puzzling. From a competition policy standpoint, the entry into the market of a subsidized competitor offering a wide array [...]
Over at Convergences I ponder a version of Mark Lemley’s argument to the effect that confusing patents tied up in administrative disputes are in effect the same as no patents. I write: I recently read “Patenting Nanotechnology” by law prof Mark Lemley. Excitement about (and fear of) nanotechnology seems to be waning rather than waxing. [...]
On October 1 I attended a panel discussion on the use of technology to restrict the illegal transfer of copyright-protected content online. The panel talked about a new French law requiring ISPs to block users who had “three strikes” against them for illegal transfers, recent developments in watermarking and fingerprinting, and the future of fair [...]
The deadline for filing amicus briefs in support of the Federal Circuit’s attempt to trim back business method patents in Bilski passed on October 2. Many briefs have been filed, and much fuss has been made in the tech community, for business method patents are linked to the problem of software patents. Many software patents, [...]
I ponder Canadian health care and directions for U.S. reform on the Convergence Law Institute Blog here.
The Obama administration has been greeted with enthusiasm by scientists who see the potential for “research-based policy.” Reason, not ideology, will govern. The New Scientist, among other zines, headlines “Let Science Rule: the Rational Way to Run Societies.” (May 28, p. 40-43) This is part of a larger theme: Behavioral economics is taking off.
At George Mason University a while back, I was treated to a preview of some economic research; this time, a paper studying whether or not consumers read the fine print. “Does Anyone Read the Fine Print? A Test of the Informed Minority Hypothesis Using Clickstream Data.” Authored by Yannis Bakos, Florencia Marotta-Wurgler, and David Trossen. [...]
Scott Gottlieb reports in the WSJ online on provisions in the fiscal stimulus package now before the House that would restrict the drugs doctors could prescribe based on cost effectiveness. This entails top-down assessments not only of how good the drugs are, but what an additional year of a person’s life is worth. Rather ironic, [...]
Geese are flying overhead. Leaves are orange. The election is over. A historic moment. And I will be optimistic, and hope that although the economics of the moment seems to be a return to things past… to the 1930s, it will turn out to be otherwise, for a good bit is known now that was [...]
May 22, 2012
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
