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Presentations & Interviews ICLE Senior Scholar Daniel Gilman served as a panelist at the Committee for Justice’s Dec. 15, 2022 event on antitrust, Congress, and the Federal Trade . . .
ICLE Senior Scholar Daniel Gilman served as a panelist at the Committee for Justice’s Dec. 15, 2022 event on antitrust, Congress, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), alongside Alden Abbott of the Mercatus Center, Jessica Melugin of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Robert Wagener of U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald’s office. The full video is embedded below.
Scholarship Abstract This paper examines a simple and old question: should innovators receive a patent or a prize? The answer I provide is equally simple: they . . .
This paper examines a simple and old question: should innovators receive a patent or a prize? The answer I provide is equally simple: they should receive both. The literature on patents versus prizes has proceeded mostly under the assumption that there should be a choice between a regime of patents and a regime of prizes in which patents fall into the public domain upon award of the prize. There are significant “public choice costs” under the prize plans. By this I mean there are risks of inappropriate transfers to patentees – that is, looting – and of confiscation of patentees, through the conduct of or through the omissions of government agents. The innovation regime I propose is a patent-plus-prize scheme. The patentee would receive the patent and a prize that approximates consumer surplus. Public choice costs are considerably lower than under prize schemes: there would be no looting and no risk of confiscation under patent-plus-prize. In addition, private and social incentives to innovate are aligned.
Regulatory Comments Comment on Mastercard Incorporated; Matter No. 201 0011 Commissioners, I am an expert on the law & economics of payment cards and have written extensively . . .
Commissioners,
I am an expert on the law & economics of payment cards and have written extensively the subject.[1] I am submitting this comment on behalf of the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) because we have concerns regarding the effects that the consent order may have on the functioning of and innovation in payment systems.
Among there are that the agreement will undermine the security of payments made using single-message systems; set a precedent that, if applied more broadly, would undermine the security of payments more generally; and discourage investment in innovation, especially in the development of new, secure, tokenized payment systems that have the potential to reduce fraud, theft, and other forms of counterparty risk. Such an outcome would be, in our view, entirely detrimental to the future of the U.S. payment system.
To elaborate those concerns, we attach a paper we recently produced that discusses the regulation of single-message payment systems and, in particular, the regulation of routing on such networks. We hope this work will help to inform your deliberations on the matter.
[1] See, e.g., Julian Morris & Todd J. Zywicki, Regulating Routing in Payment Networks, International Center for Law & Economics (Aug. 18, 2022), https://laweconcenter.org/resources/regulating-routing-in-payment-networks; Julian Morris, Central Banks and Real-Time Payments: Lessons From Brazil’s Pix, International Center for Law & Economics (Jun. 1, 2022), https://laweconcenter.org/resources/central-banks-and-real-time-payments-lessons-from-brazils-pix; Julian Morris, Regulating Payment-Card Fees: International Best Practices And Lessons For Costa Rica, International Center for Law & Economics (May 25, 2022), https://laweconcenter.org/resources/regulating-payment-card-fees-international-best-practices-and-lessons-for-costa-rica; Todd J. Zywicki, Julian Morris, & Geoffrey A. Manne, The Effects Of Price Controls On Payment-Card Interchange Fees: A Review And Update, International Center for Law & Economics (Mar. 4, 2022), https://laweconcenter.org/resources/the-effects-of-price-controls-on-payment-card-interchange-fees-a-review-and-update.
Scholarship Abstract Although most studies of major communications reform legislation focus on the merits of their substantive provisions, analyzing the political dynamics behind the legislation can . . .
Although most studies of major communications reform legislation focus on the merits of their substantive provisions, analyzing the political dynamics behind the legislation can yield important insights. An examination of the tradeoffs that led the major industry segments to support the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (the “1996 Act”) provides a useful illustration of a political bargain. Analyzing the current context identifies seven components that could form the basis for the next communications statute: (1) universal service; (2) pole attachments; (3) privacy; (4) intermediary immunity; (5) net neutrality; (6) spectrum policy; and (7) antitrust reform. Assessing where industry interests overlap and diverge and the ways that the political environment can hinder passing reform legislation provides insights into how these components might combine to support the enactment of the next Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Scholarship Abstract Congressional leaders, policy activists, and scholars contend that patents are a principal cause of rising drug prices. They argue that a solution exists in . . .
Congressional leaders, policy activists, and scholars contend that patents are a principal cause of rising drug prices. They argue that a solution exists in two federal statutes that allegedly authorize agencies to impose price controls on drug patents: 28 U.S.C. § 1498 and the Bayh-Dole Act. These “price-control theories of § 1498 and the Bayh-Dole Act” maintain that Congress has already endorsed the unprecedented and controversial policy of breaking patents to lower drug prices in private transactions in the healthcare market.
Neither § 1498 nor the Bayh-Dole Act authorize agencies to impose price controls, as confirmed by their plain text and by their interpretation by courts and agencies. Section 1498 is an eminent domain statute that applies only when a patent is used by and for the government, such for the military, the Post Office, or the Veterans Administration. The Bayh-Dole Act promotes commercialization of patented inventions derived from federal funding of upstream research; consistent with this commercialization function, this law specifies four delimited conditions when a federal agency may “march in” and license a patent when a patented product is not sold or available in the marketplace. Applying canons of statutory interpretation, the meaning of these two statutes is clear. Neither specifies that “price” triggers regulatory controls over private market transactions. Congress knows how to enact price-control laws, such as the Emergency Price Control Act of 1942 or when it specifies “reasonable price” as a goal of legislation. The price-control theories of § 1498 and the Bayh-Dole Act profess unprecedented agency powers lacking any authorization in existing statutes. Yet academic scholarship, as well as policy and legal work based on this scholarship, continue to promote the price-control theories of § 1498 and the Bayh-Dole Act. These are policy arguments masquerading as statutory construction.
Presentations & Interviews ICLE Chief Economist Brian Albrecht joined the Cato Daily Podcast to discuss non?compete agreements in labor markets: why they exist, how they work, and the . . .
ICLE Chief Economist Brian Albrecht joined the Cato Daily Podcast to discuss non?compete agreements in labor markets: why they exist, how they work, and the Federal Trade Commission’s proposal to ban them. The full episode is embedded below.
Presentations & Interviews ICLE Academic Affiliate Adam Mossoff was a guest on National Public Radio’s Planet Money podcast to discuss the purpose and value of patents in the . . .
ICLE Academic Affiliate Adam Mossoff was a guest on National Public Radio’s Planet Money podcast to discuss the purpose and value of patents in the economy. The full episode is embedded below.
MALONE: Adam Mossoff – law professor at George Mason University, patent expert, and knows a lot about how patents get turned into actual, you know, money. MOSSOFF: You know, patents are property rights, and they, like all property rights, might lead to great success or may not. MALONE: Property rights. And Adam gave us this comparison that I find really useful. He said, you know, a patent is just an idea sketched out and then legally tied to the inventor. And that really is kind of like somebody who say, you know, just owns a piece of vacant land. BERAS: Yeah. Adam says vacant land isn’t inherently a business. Its owner would have to figure out what to do with it. MOSSOFF: They can sit and wait for the land to grow in value. They can lease it out and become a landlord. They can build a factory on it. They can build an office building on it. They can build a home. And then, they can sell that home.
MALONE: Adam Mossoff – law professor at George Mason University, patent expert, and knows a lot about how patents get turned into actual, you know, money.
MOSSOFF: You know, patents are property rights, and they, like all property rights, might lead to great success or may not.
MALONE: Property rights. And Adam gave us this comparison that I find really useful. He said, you know, a patent is just an idea sketched out and then legally tied to the inventor. And that really is kind of like somebody who say, you know, just owns a piece of vacant land.
BERAS: Yeah. Adam says vacant land isn’t inherently a business. Its owner would have to figure out what to do with it.
MOSSOFF: They can sit and wait for the land to grow in value. They can lease it out and become a landlord. They can build a factory on it. They can build an office building on it. They can build a home. And then, they can sell that home.
Scholarship Abstract Universities are encouraged to undertake research through grants from government agencies, foundations, and other organizations. The Bayh-Dole Act reinforces this incentive structure by allowing . . .
Universities are encouraged to undertake research through grants from government agencies, foundations, and other organizations. The Bayh-Dole Act reinforces this incentive structure by allowing universities to take ownership of the resultant patents. Included in these rights is the ability to generate income by licensing patents and bringing patent infringement lawsuits. Undoubtedly, exercising these rights to financially benefit the university is economically rational. But might such actions also impose a cost on the public despite the fact that these very patents arose from public research subsidies?
This study examines the relationship between a university’s research expenditures and its likelihood to litigate patent infringement claims. It finds that research expenditures increase litigation frequency, suggesting that universities may use funds earmarked for research and innovation on patent litigation. We argue that patent rights provided by the Bayh-Dole Act may motivate this phenomenon—which encourages universities to seek rents, rather than pursue innovation. Our study adds to the extant literature about firm behavior, describing universities as vertical integrators as well as horizontal coordinators. It further suggests that these coordinations inure to a university’s private benefit—but not necessarily the benefit of the public, for which universities are ostensibly organized.
TOTM In the world of video games, the process by which players train themselves or their characters in order to overcome a difficult “boss battle” is . . .
In the world of video games, the process by which players train themselves or their characters in order to overcome a difficult “boss battle” is called “leveling up.” I find that the phrase also serves as a useful metaphor in the context of corporate mergers. Here, “leveling up” can be thought of as acquiring another firm in order to enter or reinforce one’s presence in an adjacent market where a larger and more successful incumbent is already active.
Read the full piece here.
