October 8, 2008

Lies, Damn Lies, etc.

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LIES, DAMN LIES, ETC….Does intellectual property infringement really cost the United States 750,000 jobs and $250 billion? Where do these frequently cited estimates come from, anyway?

Julian Sanchez and Ars Technica investigated, and the answer turns out to be: (1) an offhand and completely unsupported estimate from Commerce Secretary Malcom Baldridge in 1986, and (2) an offhand and completely unsupported estimate from Forbes in 1993. For the full story on how these two figures have managed to achieve iconic status anyway, click the link.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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