From 1790 to 1891, the United States prevented foreign authors from obtaining domestic copyright protection, implicitly subsidizing a domestic reprinting industry. With foreign works a “free” and unprotected resource, American publishers created a system of voluntary norms, known as “trade...

Traditional wisdom has long argued that copyright laws are necessary to ensure that expressive works, such as books, music, and films, are produced by deterring people from consuming them for free. Recently, a new method of financing expressive works has emerged, known as crowdfunding, where...

In recent years, many policymakers have pushed for a stronger international standard of copyright recognition and enforcement, as embodied in international agreements such as TRIPS. Proponents argue, in part, that stronger laws will encourage economic development in both developed and developing...