Understanding intellectual property - 1. An overview

In part one of his talk, Peter Drahos briefly discusses property in general and its importance for how societies function before examining so-called 'intellectual property rights', which include patent, trademark and copyright laws. He reflects on their benefits and costs, their justifications and their impact on societies, including conferring the private power of taxation. Finally, he uses the example of copyright to amplify his arguments that we should be sceptical about having more of them and indeed would benefit from having less.
Introduction: 0:00
Part 1. Questions about intellectual property: 1:54
Part 2. What are intellectual property rights?: 04:15
Part 3. Justifications for intellectual property: 15:37