The Open Market Blog

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/14/2008

U.N. Officials were robbed at a Russian check-point in Gori, a town in Georgia that Russian troops continue to occupy in violation of the…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/14/2008

A lawsuit filed for defamation against Wikipedia has just been dismissed by a federal judge. The ruling holds that Wikipedia is not liable…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/14/2008

If you’re looking for my discussion of how “college education is a waste of time,” which was excerpted on page 24 of today’s Washington Examiner, you can…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/14/2008

Ars reports on a strange move by British ISP Virgin Media. Facing pressure from the government to cut down on P2P downloading (I guess…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/13/2008

My colleague Courtney Long and I have been posting about a series of contradictory decisions regarding whether eBay should be held…

• By: Richard Morrison
• 08/13/2008

Your hosts Richard Morrison (me) and Cord Blomquist discuss cyberwarfare in Georgia, an enviro backlash, campaign debates on MySpace, the national debt, Sam Kazman…

• By: Richard Morrison
• 08/13/2008

Our friends over at Reason TV has produced a snappy little video on the questionable merits of ethanol, starring former CEI Warren Brookes Journalism Fellow…

• By: Angela Logomasini
• 08/13/2008

Bottled water is supposedly so “wasteful” that the U.S. Conference of Mayors had to issue a resolution calling on governments to…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/13/2008

In the Wall Street Journal, Philip Howard explains how kids are getting fat (and thus at risk for obesity-related diseases and death) by staying indoors rather than playing outside.  …

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/13/2008

“Just hours after Russia agreed to a French-brokered ceasefire, Russian troops followed by irregular Ossetian militias pushed deep into Georgia, seizing the strategic city…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/13/2008

AEI Scholar Charles Murray explains that “For Most People, College Is a Waste of Time.”  His commentary, in today’s Wall Street Journal, is exactly…

• By: Gregory Conko
• 08/13/2008

CEI has just published a new OnPoint, which I co-wrote with West Virginia physician Jerry Arnett. The paper, “FDA’s Bad Medicine: How the Dispersed…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Following on the heels of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, the state of California is considering passing a law harshly punishing “cyberbullies” with expulsion, up to…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

CNET and the Consumer Electronics Association have just released a new index of consumer confidence in the technology sector. Consumer confidence in…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee began an unnecessary investigation into behavioral advertising practices. As I reported yesterday, Yahoo responded by…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 08/12/2008

There are trade-offs every where, we all know, including for health care.  How much do you spend to provide how much treatment to which payments? …

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

It's that time again. Time for another (and perhaps the last!) Philosopher's Corner, the recurring feature where I explore questions of justice that pose…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

CNET reports on the increasing number of states that are taxing internet downloads. This comes just months after the controversy surrounding New…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Back in June, I reported on a bandwidth scare – a report suggesting that the US is lagging in broadband deployment. In the…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/12/2008

The Washington Post today has an editorial debunking arguments against allowing offshore oil drilling.  Texas Governor Rick Perry criticizes ethanol mandates and subsidies, which…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/12/2008

Last month, I wrote a post entitled “Congressmen Oppose Boneheaded National Wireless Plan.” The post detailed how Republican Congressmen who were initially in favor…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

I reported last week on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s superfluous investigation into behavioral advertising. It looks like Yahoo is a little scared…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

It’s not just their looser drug and prostitution laws. The Dutch are also ahead of the US in some free speech areas. Last month, I…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

The California Supreme Court just upheld an 1872 law banning non-compete clauses – agreements that after a manager leaves a company, she won’t…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

The 9th Circuit is hearing a Wiretap Act case that could have broad implications for online privacy. The MPAA hired a hacker who intercepted…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

We’ve previously reported on government-coerced censorship of websites in France, New York, and California. Now Italy is doing it too. This…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

Last month, I reported that the Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/11/2008

Doug Bandow's post on the weak economy hurting the environmental movement got me thinking. Specifically, it got me thinking about Stuff White People…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/10/2008

Russia has invaded the neighboring country of Georgia, seeking to overthrow its government.  Initially, it claimed its troops were merely seeking to occupy an enclave in…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 08/08/2008

There are drugs to treat the disease, and they are available in America.  But the National Health Service won’t pay for them.  Writes Jonathan…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/08/2008

The California  Court of Appeal has reversed its earlier decision that home-schooling is generally illegal in California.  I criticized the decision banning home-schooling…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/08/2008

Yesterday, I reported on the conclusion of the XM-Sirius merger and what it says about the fate of the potential Dish-DirecTV merger. Now, there…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

The always hilarious online comic Toothpastefordinner does a send-off of tax policy.

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/07/2008

Why is it that when a second-rate televangelist you’ve never heard of cheats on his wife, the media give it tons of coverage — but the media…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

Several weeks ago, I reported on Bell Canada’s attempt to resolve congestion issues on its network by throttling heavy P2P users. Some doubted…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

Apparently, positive portrayals of marital sex are just not super-interesting to TV viewers. So finds a study by the Parents Television Council. The PTC…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/07/2008

The Wall Street Journal has an editorial explaining how the Financial Accounting Standards Board “wants to require companies to account for the potential…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/07/2008

It looks like Dish Network and DirecTV are once again considering a merger. The companies must believe the deal would be greatly mutually-beneficial, if…

• By: John Berlau
• 08/07/2008

Ain’t it something! Congress just got through with passing a multi-billion dollar bailout to the government-sponsored housing enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which…

• By: Richard Morrison
• 08/07/2008

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/06/2008

The House of Representatives recently passed a bill called the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is being sold to the public on false pretenses.  Its supporters claim they…

• By: Ivan Osorio
• 08/06/2008

In his current column, The Wall Street Journal‘s Thomas Frank blames “conservatism” for horrid conditions at an Iowa meatpacking plant, specifically the Labor Department…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/06/2008

For the first time ever, the Committee on Presidential Debates has partnered with a website. MySpace, the social networking site that has come under…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 08/05/2008

Explains Peter Pitts of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest: Experimental cures are often the last hope for dying patients in the…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/05/2008

Yesterday, I posted on a new technology, called Selectable Output Control, that will allow customers to get movies on their TVs only a…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/05/2008

Banks and mortgage companies have long been under pressure from lawmakers and regulators to give loans to people with bad credit, in order to provide “affordable…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/05/2008

A group of artists called the Center for Creative Voices in Media has filed an amicus brief in the case now before the Supreme…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/05/2008

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has invalidated Temple University’s sexual harassment policy, which was challenged by a veteran who wished to defend in class…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/05/2008

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals just handed a victory to Cablevision, a provider of remote DVRs. Unlike regular DVRs, which store your recordings…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

It's time for another Philosopher's Corner, an exploration of libertarian issues from a perspective of justice, not consequences. Libertarian political philosophers agree about…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

Bad news today for lovers of liberty and lovers of video games. Thailand has just banned Grand Theft Auto IV, following an incident…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

A new use for TV cables has got some consumer groups up in arms. Yes, you read that right: a new use for…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/04/2008

Dickie Scruggs is reporting to prison to begin a 5-year sentence for trying to bribe a judge.  He’s the rich trial lawyer who brought…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/04/2008

A while back, the FTC proposed voluntary rules governing behavioral advertising. The Commission sought comments on its rules, and many organizations…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/03/2008

In a letter today in the Washington Post, Maryland food stamp bureaucrat Kevin McGuire tried to justify more spending on food stamps (and his own job) by making misleading claims.

• By: Doug Bandow
• 08/02/2008

It’s terrible.  The Europeans, who routinely claim to be morally superior to the greedy American species, are now yelping about the cost of climate change legislation.  The…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/01/2008

I just reported on a big case of an administrative agency and Congress opposing each other in their regulatory decisions. Now, there’s another. Though…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/01/2008

When Domino’s, a private company, decided not to deliver pizza and other fast food to certain dangerous parts of Washington, D.C., based on geographic region, not race,…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/01/2008

The U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission finally rewrote their rules governing how businesses must disclose information to the public to allow businesses to post…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/01/2008

I reported last month on a remarkable Ninth Circuit ruling holding that border police can search citizens’ laptops without cause. Now, the Department of…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/01/2008

Anyone waking up at noon today and looking into net neutrality issues would have found two ironically juxtaposed headlines facing them. First, the big…

• By: Al Canata
• 08/01/2008

The New York Times reports that California’s Governor just signed a state-wide transfats ban into law.  This makes perfect sense.  California is facing its…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/01/2008

In the Wall Street Journal, former Bush advisor Lawrence Lindsey today criticizes the mortgage bailout bill Bush foolishly signed, noting that if any other country…

• By: Alex Harris
• 08/01/2008

CNET's Marguerite Reardon reports: A judge in California has ruled that Sprint Nextel's early termination fees are illegal and said the wireless operator…

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/01/2008

In the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer explains how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by blocking a vote to lift the ban on drilling in Alaska’s ANWR and off the U.S.

• By: Hans Bader
• 08/01/2008

In “The Harry Reid Protection Racket,” the Washington Examiner yesterday explained how Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid flouted Senate rules to get the bloated mortgage bailout…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 08/01/2008

One reason trade is said to be a bad thing is because jobs are “outsourced” overseas.  Never mind that more new jobs have been created…

• By: Ryan Young
• 07/31/2008

The New York Times ominously reports that “G.D.P. Grows at Tepid 1.9% Pace Despite Stimulus” A more accurate wording would be “G.D.P. Grows at…

• By: Ivan Osorio
• 07/31/2008

Last night I attended a preview of the new film Swing Vote, which is being released tomorrow. It revolves around one man, Bud Johnson…

• By: Ryan Young
• 07/31/2008

Number of farms in the U.S. — about 2.1 million. Cost of the 2008 farm bill — $300 billion over…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/31/2008

Last month, Google slightly improved the relevancy of the ads it displays when you search for something. In addition to taking your last…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/31/2008

I reported here earlier on public safety agencies holding up spectrum owed to Sprint-Nextel. I also reported on repeated demands for even…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/30/2008

Bush signed into law an enormously costly mortgage bailout today, turning a deaf ear to financial experts who warned about the bill’s dangers and…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/30/2008

In addition to massive federal probes of the deal, the nonexclusive Google-Yahoo ad pact is facing scrutiny from states as well. The California…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 07/30/2008

I love California, but the fruits and nuts truly have taken control.  The city of Los Angeles has initiated a moratorium on fast food restaurants–but…

• By: Fran Smith
• 07/29/2008

Today, as Ryan Young noted in his post, negotiations collapsed in the ninth day of talks to resuscitate the World Trade Organization’s…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/29/2008

Rather than trying to fight individual violators of copyright, the MPAA is creating a website with links to legitimate movie sources, like local movie…

• By: Ryan Young
• 07/29/2008

Disagreements over farm subsidies have caused the current round of WTO negotiations to collapse.  Developing countries are upset that subsidized farmers from rich countries…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/29/2008

Ars has a good discussion of the US Patent and Trademark Office’s recent switch in policy towards software patents. Before, the USPTO would issue…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/29/2008

Last year, AT&T submitted to the FCC a petition for forbearance from some old reporting requirements that were designed back in the days of…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/29/2008

I reported last Thursday that the FCC was set to approve the long-ignored XM-Sirius merger. Yesterday, it finally came through… but hampered by…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/29/2008

A year and 90 days ago, Qwest gave the FCC a request for forbearance from complying with some outdated price controls. The FCC had a…

• By: Fran Smith
• 07/28/2008

With a lot of attention focused on the unintended consequences of ethanol policy in raising the costs of food, here’s another example of those…

• By: Fran Smith
• 07/28/2008

A just-released working paper from the World Bank, “A Note on Rising Food Prices,” points out that the increased production of biofuels has…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/28/2008

Politicians rail against “Washington” as if they were outsiders, but sometimes, Washington is their true home, and they only go to their “home” state when it…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/28/2008

The White House capitulated on the mortgage bailout bill, which now will become law, thanks to the “gullible” Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, who got Bush to…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 07/28/2008

Remember stories about the horrors of the American medical system?  Operations performed on the wrong leg and such?  Guess what:  it’s also a problem in…