Copyright and Patent Silliness (Cablevision and Microsoft)

Cablevision Loses Network DVR Court Case reports that Cablevision has lost a legal battle against several Hollywood studios and television networks to introduce a network-based digital video recorder service to its subscribers. Many cable subscribers now use in-home set-top DVRs. “Cablevision had hoped a network-based DVR system, called Remote Storage DVR or RS-DVR, would have done away with the need for the installation of hundreds of thousands of digital set-top boxes in subscribers’ homes.

Success without the State

A very nice pro-market commentary by Richard W. Rahn came out in today’s Washington Times praising The Science of Success, a book covering “Charles Koch, who, along with his brother, David, built this massive and very successful enterprise -- which includes petroleum refining, chemicals, fibers and carpets, fertilizers, building materials, paper products and financial services, etc.”

More from the commentary:

Panama Has No Central Bank

For a real-world example of how a system of market-chosen monetary policy would work in the absence of a central bank, one need not look to the past, writes David Saied. An example exists in present-day Central America, in the Republic of Panama, a country that has lived without a central bank since its independence, with a very successful and stable macroeconomic environment. There is no deposit insurance and no lender of last resort, so banks have to act in a responsible manner. Any bad loans will be paid by the stockholders; no one will bail these banks out if they get into trouble.

Zimbabwe: Best Performing Stock Market in 2007?

The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (the ZSE) is the best performing stock exchange in the world, the key Zimbabwe Industrials Index up some 595% since the beginning of the year and 12,000% over twelve months. And yet, the country is crumbling, writes John Paul Koning. Zimbabwe is in the middle of an economic disintegration, with GDP declining for the seventh consecutive year, half what it was in 2000. Ever since President Mugabe’s disastrous land-reform campaign (an entire article in itself), the country’s farming, tourism, and gold sectors have collapsed. Unemployment is said to be near 80%. What gives?

Smashing the State: Statists Have Volume But Lack Spine

The establishment mouthpiece The Politico, published by Robert Allbritton (media “maven,” royalist, and of scandalous Riggs Bank infamy*), has just released a disingenuous review of Brian Doherty’s Radicals for Capitalism that exhibits a strong scent of desperation. The reviewer seems to get a few things right, but seems to have misunderstood the entire purpose of the book.

Ok, fine, so what is to be done, huh Nation?

The Nation has posted an interesting article on how corporate conglomerates are ganging up on on Google to use government to give the innovative company the what for. So I read this because I was curious: what is the leftist answer here? Favor the corporate conglomerate or the corporate conglomerates that are attacking the corporate conglomerate? Just put government in charge, or the people via the marketplace?

But you can read too: there is no answer.

Here is their conclusion:

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