How the lack of Intellectual Property in Germany created an explosion of knowledge and innovation
As most libertarians are beginning to learn, intellectual property is not property, and nothing good can come from treating it as such. The lack of copyright in 19th century Germany facilitated the emergence of a lively and profitable market for literature and knowledge available to even the poorest. Meanwhile in copyright-enforcing England, only the richest could afford books and even the most successful writers struggled to profit.
The funniest paragraph from the article:
Sigismund Hermbstädt, for example, a chemistry and pharmacy professor in Berlin, who has long since disappeared into the oblivion of history, earned more royalties for his “Principles of Leather Tanning” published in 1806 than British author Mary Shelley did for her horror novel “Frankenstein,” which is still famous today.
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