The world of publishing

I was honoured to have the chance to speak to students on the MLitt in Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling last week. I was mainly providing an overview of the real importance of IP from a practical perspective in publishing - not much good if its a great read if you get an injunction banning publication at the launch party... It was interesting, however, to witness discussion on questions of free speech, monopoly over words and ideas (particularly in respect of online publishing), and also the possible negative implications of too much power in the hands of a few powerful entities. A reminder of the real world implications of our work.