The End of Ownership




Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society: Audio Fishbowl show

Summary: Recent shifts in technology, intellectual property and contract law, and marketplace behavior threaten to undermine the system of personal property that has structured our relationships with the objects we own for centuries. Ownership entails the rights to use, modify, lend, resell, and repair. But across a range of industries and products, manufacturers and retailers have deployed strategies that erode these basic expectations of ownership. Understanding these various tactics, how they depart from the traditional property paradigm, and why some have been embraced by consumers are all crucial in developing strategies to restore ownership in the digital economy. For more about this event, visit: https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/luncheons/2016/11/Perzanowski