Chapter One – Why Intellectual Property?

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As I began reading James Boyle’s book, it was his title that initially intrigued me, The Public Domain:Enclosing the Commons of the Mind. What did he mean by juxtaposing the public domain with “enclosing the commons of the mind?” <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> The public domain, those resources that all of us can use freely and without permission, is a researcher’s ultimate playground – no worries here about infringing on someone’s copyright or tracking down a photographer now living in Timbuktu before you can use an image. These are the materials that make my job as an archivist easy, allowing me to provide immediate and full access to primary materials.

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A few pages into the first chapter, Boyle clarifies his title by asserting that intellectual property rights, originally meant to be “the servants of creativity” have gone awry and become prickly barriers that now restrict access to much of our 20^th century works and culture. I couldn’t agree more, as I’ve often been frustrated helping researchers navigate through copyright issues. I’ll even confess to having my own favorite copyright cheat sheet

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