In Chapter One, Boyle explains how intellectual property rights might have evolved in an ideal world. In Chapter Two he explains how the issue was addressed in England and the United States by 18th and 19th century thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Macaulay, James Madison, Adam Smith, and John Locke and challenges us to [...]
Chapter 5, “The Farmers’ Tale: An Allegory”, in Boyle’s (2008) book, The Public Domain, is an interesting and creative look at copyright, patent law, trademark, and fair use. Building upon the concepts in previous chapters, Boyle provides the reader with an imaginative look at the issues and concerns of the new digital frontier. In this [...]
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?” 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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As Faculty Academy approaches, DTLT would like to invite anyone at UMW (or elsewhere) to join in a reading group of Dr. Boyle’s latest book, “The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind.” We’ll be discussing the book on this Web site virtually as well as trying to arrange a few face-to-face book group [...]
