<chapter label="15" id="c-conclusion">
<title>CONCLUSION</title>
<indexterm id='idxafricamedicationsforhivpatientsin' class='startofrange'><primary>Africa, medications for HIV patients in</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm id='idxhivaidstherapies' class='startofrange'><primary>HIV/AIDS therapies</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxaidsmedications' class='startofrange'><primary>AIDS medications</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm id='idxantiretroviraldrugs' class='startofrange'><primary>antiretroviral drugs</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxdevelopingcountriesforeignpatentcostsin2' class='startofrange'><primary>developing countries, foreign patent costs in</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxdrugspharmaceutical' class='startofrange'><primary>drugs</primary><secondary>pharmaceutical</secondary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxhivaidstherapies' class='startofrange'><primary>HIV/AIDS therapies</primary></indexterm>
<para>
<emphasis role='strong'>There are more</emphasis> than 35 million
people with the AIDS virus worldwide. Twenty-five million of them live
the developing world receive them—and half of them are in Brazil.
</para></footnote>
</para>
+<indexterm id='idxpatentsonpharmaceuticals' class='startofrange'><primary>patents</primary><secondary>on pharmaceuticals</secondary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxpharmaceuticalpatents' class='startofrange'><primary>pharmaceutical patents</primary></indexterm>
<para>
<!-- PAGE BREAK 265 -->
These prices are not high because the ingredients of the drugs are
that results in so many deaths? What exactly is the insanity that
would allow so many to die for such an abstraction?
</para>
+<indexterm id='idxcorporationsinpharmaceuticalindustry' class='startofrange'><primary>corporations</primary><secondary>in pharmaceutical industry</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
Some blame the drug companies. I don't. They are corporations.
Their managers are ordered by law to make money for the corporation.
drugs didn't get back into the United States, but those are mere
problems of technology. They could be overcome.
</para>
+<indexterm id='idxintellectualpropertyrightsofdrugpatents' class='startofrange'><primary>intellectual property rights</primary><secondary>of drug patents</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
A different problem, however, could not be overcome. This is the
fear of the grandstanding politician who would call the presidents of
strategy thus becomes framed in terms of this ideal—the sanctity of an
idea called <quote>intellectual property.</quote>
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxafricamedicationsforhivpatientsin' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxaidsmedications' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxantiretroviraldrugs' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxdevelopingcountriesforeignpatentcostsin2' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxdrugspharmaceutical' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxhivaidstherapies' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxcorporationsinpharmaceuticalindustry' class='endofrange'/>
<para>
So when the common sense of your child confronts you, what will
you say? When the common sense of a generation finally revolts
policy. For most of our history, both copyright and patent policies
were balanced in just this sense.
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxpatentsonpharmaceuticals' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxpharmaceuticalpatents' class='endofrange'/>
<indexterm startref='idxinternationallaw2' class='endofrange'/>
<para>
But we as a culture have lost this sense of balance. We have lost the
consequences more grave to the spread of ideas and culture than almost
any other single policy decision that we as a democracy will make.
</para>
-<indexterm startref='idxafricamedicationsforhivpatientsin' class='endofrange'/>
-<indexterm startref='idxhivaidstherapies' class='endofrange'/>
-<indexterm startref='idxantiretroviraldrugs' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxintellectualpropertyrightsofdrugpatents' class='endofrange'/>
<para>
<emphasis role='strong'>A simple idea</emphasis> blinds us, and under
the cover of darkness, much happens that most of us would reject if
property was balanced by agreements to keep access open or to impose
limitations on the way in which proprietary claims might be used.
</para>
+<indexterm id='idxlessiglawrenceininternationaldebateonintellectualproperty' class='startofrange'><primary>Lessig, Lawrence</primary><secondary>in international debate on intellectual property</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
From the perspective of this book, then, the conference was ideal.<footnote><para>
<!-- f7. --> I should disclose that I was one of the people who asked WIPO for the
<indexterm startref='idxintellectualpropertyrightsinternationalorganizationonissuesof' class='endofrange'/>
<indexterm startref='idxworldintellectualpropertyorganizationwipo' class='endofrange'/>
<indexterm startref='idxworldsummitontheinformationsocietywsis' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm id='idxfreesoftwareopensourcesoftwarefsoss' class='startofrange'><primary>free software/open-source software (FS/OSS)</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>Apple Corporation</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxmicrosoftonfreesoftware' class='startofrange'><primary>Microsoft</primary><secondary>on free software</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
But there is one project within that list that is highly
controversial, at least among lobbyists. That project is <quote>open source
<ulink url="http://free-culture.cc/notes/">link #63</ulink>.
</para></footnote>
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxlessiglawrenceininternationaldebateonintellectualproperty' class='endofrange'/>
<indexterm><primary>General Public License (GPL)</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>GPL (General Public License)</primary></indexterm>
<para>
could not impose the same kind of requirements on its adopters. It
thus depends upon copyright law just as Microsoft does.
</para>
-<indexterm><primary>Krim, Jonathan</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxintellectualpropertyrightsinternationalorganizationonissuesof2' class='startofrange'><primary>intellectual property rights</primary><secondary>international organization on issues of</secondary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxworldintellectualpropertyorganizationwipo2' class='startofrange'><primary>World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxkrimjonathan' class='startofrange'><primary>Krim, Jonathan</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>Microsoft</primary><secondary>WIPO meeting opposed by</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
It is therefore understandable that as a proprietary software
powerful software producer in the United States having succeeded in
its lobbying efforts.
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxmicrosoftonfreesoftware' class='endofrange'/>
<indexterm><primary>Boland, Lois</primary></indexterm>
<para>
What was surprising was the United States government's reason for
to disclaim or waive such rights seems to us to be contrary to the
goals of WIPO.</quote>
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxkrimjonathan' class='endofrange'/>
<para>
These statements are astonishing on a number of levels.
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxfreesoftwareopensourcesoftwarefsoss' class='endofrange'/>
<!-- PAGE BREAK 273 -->
<para>
First, they are just flat wrong. As I described, most open source and
that they also should be exercised in the most extreme and restrictive
way possible.
</para>
+<indexterm id='idxfeudalsystem' class='startofrange'><primary>feudal system</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxpropertyrightsfeudalsystemof' class='startofrange'><primary>property rights</primary><secondary>feudal system of</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
There is a history of just such a property system that is well known
in the Anglo-American tradition. It is called <quote>feudalism.</quote> Under
<emphasis>free</emphasis> or <emphasis>feudal</emphasis>. The trend is
toward the feudal.
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxfeudalsystem' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxpropertyrightsfeudalsystemof' class='endofrange'/>
<para>
When this battle broke, I blogged it. A spirited debate within the
comment section ensued. Ms. Boland had a number of supporters who
that was particularly depressing for me. An anonymous poster wrote,
</para>
<blockquote>
+<indexterm startref='idxintellectualpropertyrightsinternationalorganizationonissuesof2' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxworldintellectualpropertyorganizationwipo2' class='endofrange'/>
<para>
George, you misunderstand Lessig: He's only talking about the world as
it should be (<quote>the goal of WIPO, and the goal of any government,
space where free software would survive. He was actively protecting
what before had been passively guaranteed.
</para>
+<indexterm id='idxacademicjournals' class='startofrange'><primary>academic journals</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxscientificjournals' class='startofrange'><primary>scientific journals</primary></indexterm>
<para>
Finally, consider a very recent example that more directly resonates
with the story of this book. This is the shift in the way academic and
scientific journals are produced.
</para>
-<indexterm id='idxacademocjournals' class='startofrange'><primary>academic journals</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxlexisandwestlaw' class='startofrange'><primary>Lexis and Westlaw</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxlawdatabasesofcasereportsin' class='startofrange'><primary>law</primary><secondary>databases of case reports in</secondary></indexterm>
+<indexterm><primary>libraries</primary><secondary>journals in</secondary></indexterm>
+<indexterm><primary>Supreme Court, U.S.</primary><secondary>access to opinions of</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
As digital technologies develop, it is becoming obvious to many that
printing thousands of copies of journals every month and sending them
to charge users for the privilege of gaining access to that Supreme
Court opinion through their respective services.
</para>
+<indexterm><primary>public domain</primary><secondary>access fees for material in</secondary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxpublicdomainlicensesystemforrebuildingof' class='startofrange'><primary>public domain</primary><secondary>license system for rebuilding of</secondary></indexterm>
<para>
There's nothing wrong in general with this, and indeed, the ability to
charge for access to even public domain materials is a good incentive
domain, then there could be nothing wrong, in principle, with selling
access to material that is not in the public domain.
</para>
+<indexterm startref='idxlexisandwestlaw' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxlawdatabasesofcasereportsin' class='endofrange'/>
<para>
But what if the only way to get access to social and scientific data
was through proprietary services? What if no one had the ability to
presumptively a good—especially when it helps spread knowledge
and science.
</para>
-<indexterm startref='idxacademocjournals' class='endofrange'/>
-
+<indexterm startref='idxacademicjournals' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxscientificjournals' class='endofrange'/>
</section>
<section id="oneidea">
<title>Rebuilding Free Culture: One Idea</title>
-<indexterm id='idxcc' class='startofrange'><primary>Creative Commons</primary></indexterm>
+<indexterm id='idxcreativecommons' class='startofrange'><primary>Creative Commons</primary></indexterm>
<para>
The same strategy could be applied to culture, as a response to the
increasing control effected through law and technology.
flexibly and cheaply. That difference, we believe, will enable
creativity to spread more easily.
</para>
-<indexterm startref='idxcc' class='endofrange'/>
-
+<indexterm startref='idxpublicdomainlicensesystemforrebuildingof' class='endofrange'/>
+<indexterm startref='idxcreativecommons' class='endofrange'/>
<!-- PAGE BREAK 292 -->
</section>
</section>