Presented at the Austrian Scholars Conference 2008.
Abstract: This paper examines whether intellectual property rights are possible under a libertarian system. It considers the arguments of Murray Rothbard and Stephan Kinsella. Rothbard has developed one of the most complete systems of rights in his Ethics of Liberty, and Kinsella has become a leader among Austrians opposing intellectual property rights in his Journal of Libertarian Studies article, “Against Intellectual Property.” This paper sides with Rothbard’s framework and offers some possibilities on how to extend the analysis of intellectual property rights in the realm of Austrian economics.
