Against Intellectual Monopoly
Against Intellectual Monopoly by Michele Boldrin and David K. Levineby Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine
Shares rank 10 of 19 economics books by recommenders
Recommended as a scholarly, rigorous academic case against copyright and patents, though one critic finds the authors push a narrative and dense reading.
Recommended as a scholarly, rigorous academic case against copyright and patents, though one critic finds the authors push a narrative and dense reading.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Rigorous academic case against patents and copyright
“A scholarly and far more rigorous argument against copyright and patents can be found in Against Intellectual Monopoly”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Why copyright makes no sense” “great academic (but very digest) book titled "Against Intellectual Monopoly"”
Comment from 19 Aug 2026 in “A 25-year-old video patent just expired, ending a legal headache for Linux” Shaped commenters' thinking on intellectual property
“The book "against intellectual monopoly" has shaped a lot of my thinking on this topic”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “AI Can't Be Listed as Inventor on Patent Applications, Japan's Top Court Rules”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Authors push a narrative over facts
“the authors have a narrative they are trying to push and they don't let inconvenient things like facts or history get in the way”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “AI Can't Be Listed as Inventor on Patent Applications, Japan's Top Court Rules”
Other economics books people recommend
The four most recommended other economics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital in the Twenty-First Centuryby Thomas Piketty | 12 | 6 | 67% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Why Nations Failby Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Progress and Povertyby Henry George | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Free to Chooseby Milton Friedman | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Against Intellectual Monopolyby Michele Boldrin and David K. LevineThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“A scholarly and far more rigorous argument against copyright and patents can be found in Against Intellectual Monopoly”
“great academic (but very digest) book titled "Against Intellectual Monopoly"”
“the authors have a narrative they are trying to push and they don't let inconvenient things like facts or history get in the way”
“The book "against intellectual monopoly" has shaped a lot of my thinking on this topic”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.