Intellectual Property and Libertarianism, by Seth King

Sadly, there aren’t very many high-quality videos out there that discuss why Intellectual Property is antithetical to the philosophy of liberty. But this one comes close.

The truth is intellectual property hasn’t been a very contentious issue in this country until the last decade or so, when software and file sharing really kicked into high gear and corporations like Monsanto started patenting the very ingredients necessary to life. But now that IP is being debated, it really is past time the libertarians re-examine their position in the matter.

Libertarianism and Constitutionalism have so often gone hand-in-hand together and governments have been so egregious in their myriad other offenses that intellectual property got a pass by default, merely because it was, after all, Constitutional.

To be honest, I was quite a bit skeptical about getting rid of Intellectual Property laws when I ordered Stephan Kinsella’s book. I had always been raised to think that stalwart libertarian Benjamin Frankilin had invented Intellectual Property as the cornerstone to capitalism and progress. Had the book been written by a leftist I likely wouldn’t have given it the time of day. But it was written by one of our own at the Mises Institute, and for that I decided to read it with an open mind.

I am encouraged to see that the Daily Paul crowd is starting to question the legitimacy of IP. I also feel confident that they will, in time, come to view Intellectual Property as I do: anti-freedom.

On a side note, books are always better than videos and Against Intellectual Property is a short, easy read. However, I think it would be difficult to fully appreciate many of Stephan’s arguments against Intellectual Property if one does not already have a good understanding of Austrian Economics. This is why I put the book fourth in the queue of four books that are offered in my store. I encourage viewers that enjoy this video to read the book afterwards.