The paper must be typed and double-spaced in 12-point font with normal one-inch margins, in which case a 2,500 word document will be approximately 8.5 pages long.
All sources used in the paper must be listed alphabetically by author in a “List of References” appearing at the end of the paper. Do not list items that are not cited in the paper. Use a consistent style of footnotes, endnotes or textual references to cite sources. The List of References itself, of course, does not count toward the 2,500 words. Staple the paper at the top left-hand corner. Please do not place the paper in a plastic or cardboard cover or binder of any kind.
Topic: Intellectual Property Rights Intellectual property rights (IPRs) – such as patents on scientific innovations and performance rights for artists – are protected in order to ensure that producers have sufficient incentive to invest in the creation of new products that benefit consumers. But new technologies and globalization have made the protection of some IPRs extremely costly. Developing countries, in particular, face a difficult decision in determining how much resources to spend on protecting IPRs. Some analysts argue that a cost-benefit calculation should determine which IPRs are worth protecting and the extent and type of protection that is socially efficient. Discuss the social benefits and costs of protecting IPRs.
Sources:
Kobayashi, Bruce H. and Yu, Ben T., “An Economic Analysis of Performance Rights: Some Implications of the Copyright Act of 1976,” Research in Law and Economics, 1995, 17, 237-70.
Maskus, Keith E., “The International Regulation of Intellectual Property,” Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv/Review of World Economics, 1998, 134(2), 186-208.
Maskus, Keith E., Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy, Washington, D.C.: Institute for International Economics, 2000.
Thierer, Adam and Crews, Clyde Wayne, Jr., eds., Copy Fights: The Future of Intellectual Property in the Information Age, Washington, D.C.: Cato Institute, 2002.
Liebowitz, Stan J., “Policing Pirates in the Networked Age,” Policy Analysis No. 438, Cato Institute, Washington, D.C., May 15, 2002, http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/policing-pirates-networked-age
Einhorn, Michael A. and Rosenblatt, Bill, “Peer-to-Peer Networking and Digital Rights Management: How Market Tools Can Solve Copyright Problems,” Policy Analysis No. 534, Cato Institute, Washington, D.C., February 17, 2005, http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/peerpeer-networking-digital-rightsmanagement-how-market-tools-can-solve-copyright-problems
