IP FREE. The theory behind intellectual property law is fairly simple. Some things require investment to create but can be copied easily (books, music etc). In order to create incentives for them to be created, we give people copyrights so that they can get paid for their creations. Problem is, there are quite a few things that are easily created, have no intellectual property protection, but still thrive as industries. I recently wrote about a proposed copyright scheme for fashion. Now, a new study explores how informal norms encourage innovation in the IP free world of professional magic:
The paper details the structure of these informal norms that protect the creation, dissemination, and performance of magic tricks. The paper also discusses broader implications for IP theory, suggesting that a norm-based approach may offer a promising explanation for the puzzling persistence of some of IP's negative spaces.
--Sam Boyd
