Intellectual Property & Monopoly Capitalism — with Cecilia Rikap

In this second Crash Course episode of the series on Big Tech, Techno-feudalism and Democracy, we will zoom in on intellectual property. We have invited political economist Cecilia Rikap to explain where intellectual property comes from, what its role is in fabricating monopoly power, and why it is important to understand the rise of Big tech and Big Pharma.

Rodrigo and Sara asked Rikap:

* Is ‘intellectual monopoly capitalism’ a new accumulation regime?
* And how does it change the rules of the game?
* How does intellectual monopoly capitalism fit in the growing geo-political struggle between the US and China?

Cecilia Rikap
Cecilia Rikap is a political economist, researcher CONICET, Univ de Paris & COSTECH Univ Tech Compiègne. She studies the rising concentration of intangible assets, focusing on power relations and the distribution of data and innovation economic gains, resulting geopolitical tensions, and the effects on knowledge commons & development. Rikap just finished her new book Capitalism, Power and Innovation: Intellectual monopoly capitalism uncovered.

00:00 Intro by Sara Murawski, including the ‘good news of the week’
03:33 Rodrigo Fernandez introduces this series on Big Tech
08:04 Rodrigo introduces Cecilia Rikap: a real political economist
09:33 Cecilia Rikap starts presentation on Capitalism, Power and Innovation
10:37 Monopolies
13:05 Intellectual monopolies, intangible assets
16:02 Intellectual monopoly capitalism (IMC)
18:43 Knowledge traits
22:14 Data-driven intellectual monopolies
24:51 Amazon’s knowledge predation
27:00 Implications for workers & peripheries & what is to be done
31:34 Q&A: Big tech and big data, beyond privacy
36:07 Q&A: Consequences of balance of power for tech solutions
38:22 Q&A: Self inforcing mechanisms & financial firepower
44:00 Q&A: High market valuation of tech corporations
46:48 Q&A: Monopolies or Oligopolies?
50:40 Q&A: Value chains and implications for workers
56:17 Q&A: How to tax tech companies
59:31 Wrap up by Sara

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About Crash Course Economics
Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

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Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)