ABSTRACT
Self-interest is not a total explanation for what drives the self, l but as it happens self-interest does explain a lot about the self. And because it does, it makes the use of intellectual property rights by a society costly, to the point where perhaps there should be a presumption against expanding their use. The real-world cost of intellectual property rights remains a complex empirical question. This chapter does not shed any light on those actual costs, but it does provide an argument for thinking that they might be higher than is usually thought.
