Information environmentalism : a governance framework for intellectual property rights

Information environmentalism is a normative discourse that seeks to protect and nurture the information commons. The information commons is important within the information age because it provides critical raw material for creativity and innovation. An outstanding challenge when protecting and nurturing the information commons is defining its parameters. Something cannot be protected until it is clearly delineated. Yet delineation alone is not enough. For this reason the thesis seeks to build an information environmental governance framework. This framework can be relied upon when seeking to protect and nurture the information environment (generally) and the information commons (more specifically). The framework is built upon four discrete environmental analytical frames: (i) welfare economics; (ii) the commons; (iii) ecology; and (iv) public choice theory. In building an information environmental governance framework, the costs of propertising information and the benefits of the information commons are underscored. Several innovative governance tools are also advanced, including an information environmental discipline (i.e. information ecology), an information environmental ethic, InformationCommons Rights, informational national parks, and the separation of (economic) power doctrine