Do intellectual property rights hinder the dissemination of information?
Intellectual property rights actually encourage the dissemination of information. For instance, as a condition to receive a patent, an inventor must disclose to a patent office how the invention works. The patent office then makes available to the public this information. This is a fundamental component of the patent system that promotes increased ingenuity and invention by allowing creators to learn from and expand upon the efforts of others. Copyrights have an even more direct impact upon the dissemination of information, by providing an economic incentive for people to create information products, such as radio and television programs, books, and newspapers.
