Fowler Law Professor Bell Publishes New Book: “Intellectual Privilege: Copyright, Common Law, and the Common Good”
May 15, 2014
Professor Tom W. Bell published the book
Intellectual Privilege: Copyright, Common Law, and the Common Good
with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. The book was released on April 29, 2014.
Excerpt from the book:
“A consensus has recently emerged among academics and policymakers that US copyright law has fallen out of balance. Lawmakers have responded by taking up proposals to reform the Copyright Act. But how should they proceed? This book offers a new and insightful view of copyright, marking the path toward a world less encumbered by legal restrictions and yet richer in art, music, and other expressive works.
Two opposing viewpoints have driven the debate over copyright policy. One side questions copyright for the same reasons it questions all restraints on freedoms of expression, and dismisses copyright, like other forms of property, as a mere plaything of political forces. The opposing side regards copyrights as property rights that deserve—like rights in houses, cars, and other forms of property—the fullest protection of the law.
Each of these viewpoints defends important truths. Both fail, however, to capture the essence of copyright. In Intellectual Privilege, Tom W. Bell reveals copyright as a statutory privilege that threatens our natural and constitutional rights. From this fresh perspective come fresh solutions to copyright’s problems.”
Professor Tom W. Bell
is a professor of law at Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law and an adjunct fellow of the Cato Institute. He teaches Intellectual Property, Internet Law, Advanced Seminar on Copyright Law, Agency and Partnership, among other courses. His writings include
Regulator’s Revenge
, which he edited with Solveig Singleton; “Five Reforms for Copyright” in
Copyright Unbalanced
, edited by Jerry Brito; and many papers and articles.