Hot Property: The Stealing of Ideas

Pat Choate talked about his book Hot Property: The Stealing of Ideas in an Age of Globalization, published by Random House. In the book he claims that America loses more than $200 billion annually to the piracy of intellectual property. This includes bootleg CDs and DVDs, counterfeit watches, and knock-offs of designer clothes, often manufactured by people in other countries. The book also delves into the history of I.P. piracy as far back as the 1800s, when it took the form of fierce competition and sabotage amongst inventors. He talked about international trade agreements, intellectual property rights, the impact of free trade on the U.S. economy, and the historical interests of business and trade in American foreign policy. After his discussion, he responded to audience questions. close