Donate
  • Freedom
  • Innovation
  • Growth

Catania's Bad Idea in DC

I thought intellectual property wasn't "real" property?

At least that's what opponents of intellectual property have always said.

But now, apparently, those who attack intellectual property are planning to use a tool that was designed for real property.

Governments are planning to start using their power of eminent domain to seize the patents of prescription drug companies.

Jeez, this is bad policy.

Apparently, if a government doesn't like the price that is being offered to them by a drug company, the government will simply pull eminent domain out of their back pockets and take the drug for whatever they feel like paying.

Yes, they'll pay for the drug, but they'll pay what they feel like paying, like governments do when they seize real property and also get to be the ones who determine the "fair" value.

This is just the latest example of everything that is wrong with government. It's why our Founders distrusted government, and why they did everything they could to limit government's power to interfere with the lives of citizens.

Everyone who cares about limited government, not only those who care about intellectual property, should be offended by this and do everything they can to stop it.

Since DC isn't a "real" state, it doesn't have a real economy. So DC can take actions like this that actually will harm the economies of other states. There isn't any prescription drug R&D going on in DC. So by implementing price controls on prescription drugs, DC doesn't hurt its own economy, but rather harms the economies of the rest of the country.

And perhaps it's time for the IP sceptics to stop telling us that IP isn't like real property, if they think it's appropriate to use eminent domain against IP.
blog comments powered by Disqus