Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Heller on Gridlock and the Tragedy of the Anticommons

EconTalk:
Michael Heller of Columbia Law School and author of The Gridlock Economy talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the book and the idea that fragmented ownership is a barrier to innovation. Heller makes an analogy between the tragedy of the commons and what he calls the tragedy of the anticommons--the problem of bundling together numerous individual claims to a resource. Examples discussed include drug innovation when the innovator wants to use technologies of multiple patent holders, new music or visual media where the creator wants to use multiple copyrighted works, and allocation of spectrum rights and its role in wireless innovation.
Follow the link for related resources and listen to the podcast here.

I saw Heller speak here at GMU about a month ago. He has some intriguing ideas that need serious consideration. I highly recommend listening to this podcast.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Definitely an interesting podcast. A friend of mine who saw Heller at GMU's Arlington campus said that Richard Epstein really ripped him apart in the discussion...but that's Epstein for you :D