Nobel Prize winner criticizes intellectual property policies in medical scenarios

In an editorial for the British Medical Journal, American economist Joseph E Stiglitz argues against intellectual property rights for drugs and other medical issues, comparing the idea of legally owning knowledge to Scrooge hoarding money while others are in need.  Indeed, he goes further: while Scrooge could argue that he cannot give away money he needs for himself, knowledge can never "run out" when shared. He quotes Benjamin Franklin as saying that "knowledge is like a candle; when one candle lights another it does not diminish from the light of the first." Giving a person or company a monopoly over a particular piece of knowledge hinders our progress in science and medicine, keeping us from working together to develop new drugs, techniques, programs.

This is an interesting perspective connected to the idea of Open Source software.  There are certainly many valid arguments for the existence of patents and intellectual property laws, but not only can they be exploited, they can hinder the progress and development that can come from collaboration.

Link: British Medical Journal editorial
Scrooge and intellectual property rights