This is my appearance on Albert Lu‘s “The Economy” podcast. This is part 1 of 3. We discussed property rights, bitcoin ownership, intellectual property, and related matters.
Parts 2 and 3 to follow in due course.
Relevant links at KOL274 | Nobody Owns Bitcoin (PFS 2019).
See also: KOL085 | The History, Meaning, and Future of Legal Tender.
Episode video:
Full video below:
Podcast (kinsella-on-liberty): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:19 — 37.7MB)
Stephan Kinsella is a libertarian writer and retired patent attorney in Houston, Texas. He has published widely on various areas of libertarian legal theory and on legal topics such as intellectual property law and international law. His publications include Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023), Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008), International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (Oxford, 2020), and The Universal Principles of Liberty (2025).
My Failed Libertarian Speaking Hiatus; Memories of Mises Institute and Other Events, 1988–20192025
Loved those three podcasts. The “double-counting” point is pretty clear and convincing in my opinion.
Speaking of legal theory for the internet, I have a related question: what do you think about the morality and legality of ad blocking?
In my mind, I draw a parallel with ordering a coffee from a street vendor and running away to avoid the bill. In both cases, norms dictate the protocol without having a formal contract.