Tragedies of the Gridlock Economy

Richard Epstein, Michael Heller, and Harold Demsetz are coming to GMU next Friday:

Tragedies of the Gridlock Economy
How Mis-Configuring Property Rights Stymies Social Efficiency

Friday, October 2, 2009

George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Virginia

This event will explore a paradox that broadly affects the Information Economy. Property rights are essential to avoid a tragedy of the commons; defined properly, such institutions yield productive incentives for creation, conservation, discovery and cooperation. Applied improperly, however, such rights can produce confusion, wasteful rent-seeking, and a tragedy of the anti-commons.

This conference, building on Columbia University law professor Michael Heller’s book, The Gridlock Economy, tackles these themes through the lens of three distinct subjects: “patent thickets,” reallocation of the TV band, and the Google Books copyright litigation.

More after the link. I just sent in my RSVP.

I have Heller's book. I'll have to see if I can finish reading it before next Friday.