Alan G Isaac wrote:
> ----------------- HES POSTING -----------------
> Michael Perelman wrote:
>   
>> intellectual property is an abomination in its present 
>> form.  Libertarians used to oppose it as monopoly.  What 
>> happened to contemporary Libertarians? 
>>     
>
>
> My sense is that modern libertarians oppose patents but 
> support copyright.  I am thinking of Rothbard
> (e.g., <URL:http://www.ccsindia.org/lacs/7patents_copyrights.pdf>)
> but in the software arena I suppose one might also think of
> the higher profile Richard Stallman.
>   


Rather than going to Rothbard, there are other, more contemporary 
sources for libertarian views on this topic, which remains a subject of 
much contention within libertarian circles.  Some of the best work has, 
in fact, been anti-IP, both copyrights and patents.

For anti-IP arguments, see:

Stephan Kinsella, here:  http://www.mises.org/journals/jls/15_2/15_2_1.pdf

Roderick Long, here:  http://libertariannation.org/a/f31l1.html

Tom Palmer, here: 
http://www.tomgpalmer.com/papers/palmer-non-posnerian-hamline-v12n2.pdf  
and  here:  
http://www.tomgpalmer.com/papers/palmer-morallyjustified-harvard-v13n3.pdf

Steve Horwitz