Essay contest puts intellectual property under the spotlight

22 September 2001

The case against intellectual property will gain greater visibility with the launch of an international essay contest.
Associate Professor Brian Martin from the Science, Technology and Society Program at the University of Wollongong, is one of the initial endorsers of the contest.

"Copyrights and patents are forms of intellectual monopoly that mainly benefit powerful groups. For example, independent inventors gain little from patents, patients pay vast sums for patented pharmaceuticals, expensive commercial software is no better than free software. Hollywood productions swamp local artistic innovation and the cost of many scientific journals is exorbitant," said Professor Martin, whose article, "Against intellectual property," (www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/pubs/98il/il03.html) is well known among critics worldwide.

"This contest is bringing together diverse opponents of intellectual monopoly, including supporters of low-cost generic drugs, opponents of genetic engineering, third world activists, free software promoters and critical lawyers, in a way never seen before."

The counter-essay contest welcomes essays of less than 2,000 words from anyone on the topic, "What does intellectual property mean to you in your daily life?" and are due by 15 March 2002. There is a small prize, but the emphasis is not on competition, but instead on stimulating debate. In addition to essays, point-of-view contributions up to 400 words are welcome for posting on the contest site.