Public versus private domain: Knowledge and information in the global communications network

Abstract

It goes without saying that knowledge and information are the most valuable commodities in the new economy. Though knowledge and information as private goods could provide great business opportunities for rights holders in the global communications network, they exhibit the distinctive characteristics of public goods (Samuelson 1954, pp. 387-389; Stiglitz 1999, pp. 308-325). Therefore, the commodification of knowledge and information requires a strict proprietary regime which restrains free access to them and enforces effective legal protection over their production, use, and dissemination. If the accessing and using rights of the individual users were free and unlimited the legal entitlements of rights holders would be worthless. © 2009 Springer Netherlands.