I’ve discussed in previous writing the harmful effects of patents, for example on the pharmaceutical industry. (See below.)
I just came across a couple of fairly recent pieces on this topic at Mises.org:
- Gilbert Berdine, MD, “The Case Against Pharma Patent Monopolies,” Mises Wire (Nov. 13, 2018)
- Benjamin Williams, “Patents, Legal Monopolies, and the High Prices for Drugs,” Mises Wire (March 17, 2022)
Both worth a read.
For some of my own commentary on this, see:
- Kinsella, “FDA and Patent Reform: A Modest Proposal” (May 5, 2023)
- “Are Patents Needed to Make Up for FDA Kneecapping?” (July 2, 2011)
- “Software Patents Bad, Pharmaceutical Patents Good?: confused “libertarian” “opponents” of state monopoly privileges” (April 17, 2023)
- “Posner’s Pontifications on Patents” (April 16, 2023)
- “Cato on IP” (Jan. 30, 2023)
- “Cato Tugs Stray Back Onto the Reservation; Epstein on reimportation” (July 29, 2003)
- “Cato vs. Public Citizen on IP and the TPP” (Jan. 20, 2014)
- “KOL341 | ESEADE Lecture: Should We Release Patents on Vaccines? An Overview of Libertarian Property Rights and the Case Against IP” (June 5, 2021)
- “Patents Kill Update: Volunteers 3D-Print Unobtainable $11,000 Valve For $1 To Keep Covid-19 Patients Alive; Original Manufacturer Threatens To Sue,” C4SIF Blog (March 18, 2020);
- “Killing people with patents,” C4SIF Blog (June 1, 2015)
- “Wenzel on patents in developing countries” (Feb. 18, 2014)
- “Patents Kill: Millions Die in Africa After Big Pharma Blocks Imports of Generic AIDS Drugs,” C4SIF Blog (Jan. 31, 2013);
- “Dispatch from the Open Science Summit: Citizen Science, Microfinanced Research, Patent Trolls, and Pharma Prizes” (Aug. 29, 2011)
- “Pharmaceutical “Printers” and Patents” (Aug. 24, 2011)
- “Price Controls, Antitrust, and Patents” (July 10, 2011)
- “Update: Patents Kill: Compulsory Licenses and Genzyme’s Life Saving Drug” (Jan. 19, 2011)
- “Patents Kill: Compulsory Licenses and Genzyme’s Life Saving Drug,” C4SIF Blog (Dec. 8, 2010);
- “KOL065 | Guest on The Medical Freedom Report, with Michael Ostrolenk: Patents on Medical Technology and Pharmaceuticals (Feb. 24, 2011)“
- “Drug Patents and Welfare” (May 31, 2006)
The notes to my debate “KOL364 | Soho Forum Debate vs. Richard Epstein: Patent and Copyright Law Should Be Abolished” mention also:
- Boldrin & Levine on Covid-19, Vaccines, the Pharmaceutical Industry, and Patents
- Dean Baker, Getting Ready for the Next Pandemic: Can We Get Patent Monopolies on the Table? (Dec. 20, 2021) (“We are still seeing no real debate as to whether we want to rely on these monopolies as a primary mechanism for financing medical innovation in the future.”)
- Dawn Niederhauser, CEPR Spotlight: Vaccines, Patents and Copyrights (Dec. 20, 2021) (“CEPR has written extensively on how patent monopolies allow pharmaceutical companies to extract billions from everyday people using drug research that is already publicly funded at a fraction of the cost.”)
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