Reclaiming the Digital Commons

Abstract

"Today, there’s considerable concern that aggressive use of intellectual property—most notably copyright and patents—threatens to 'enclose' the open nature of the Internet and therefore privatize it by stealth.

"The fears are twofold. First, critics argue, today’s overgenerous patent system will enable opportunistic companies to appropriate the Web’s infrastructure and transform the Internet’s free and open platform into a proprietary network. Second, ever more powerful copyright laws, coupled with copy-protection tools and industry consolidation, will enable a small group of media and information companies to exert increasingly monopolistic control over digital content."