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Why The Conservative Nanny State is a free e-book

The Conservative Nanny State is available as a free e-book because we want to take full advantage of modern technology and let you get the book at exactly what it costs us to get it to you – nothing. (Paperback copies are available for a fee that covers printing and shipping costs, plus their normal mark-up. To order a copy, see www.lulu.com/content/301875) This is the arrangement that maximizes efficiency and should be endorsed by those who support free markets.
 
People who write, edit and design books need to be paid. The granting of copyright monopolies is the mechanism that the government uses to support this work. As the book argues, with the development of the Internet and digital technologies, copyright is an archaic mechanism that is becoming increasingly inefficient. The Conservative Nanny State proposes one alternative to copyrights for supporting creative work, but there are many other possibilities. The key point is that we should have a public debate about the most desirable mechanism for supporting writing, editing, and designing books and other forms of intellectual work. By distributing this book at no cost, we can spread this message far more widely.

-- Dean Baker,
    May 2006

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