
Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
Author: Peter Drahos and John Braithwaite
Publisher: Earthscan
Publication date: 6 February 2002
Reviewer: Sandy Thomas
EN
"Drahos and Braithwaite argue that developments [in the global intellectual property regime] over the past 30 years are driving us dangerously towards a system that they refer to as information feudalism… Those who stay the course [of the book] will gain a clear insight into why so many non-governmental organisations are furiously lobbying for the removal of TRIPS and for reform of the patent and copyright systems… [But] crucially, evidence of why the patent system has, on balance, almost certainly benefited consumers hardly gets a mention. As a consequence, many of the arguments advanced in the book are seriously flawed… Neither do the authors get to grips with some of the most important questions in development policy that loom large today."
Price: £35 (hardback), £12 (paperback)
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28 May 2012