tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169740113013066976.post6214408076091357383..comments2024-02-10T12:12:06.028+00:00Comments on The Real Blog: Columbus, Monsanto and the monopoly perilDavid Boylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410159311875228620noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169740113013066976.post-36049515219626704912016-05-27T14:55:00.488+01:002016-05-27T14:55:00.488+01:00There is undoubtedly an issue with the % cut platf...There is undoubtedly an issue with the % cut platform monopolies, like Uber, AirBnB, Apple App store etc etc, but to say "they will make real, Liberal free trade quiet impossible without their permission" is preposterous. The Open Source movement is one example that demonstrates how many Davids can ultimately crush the Goliaths of the day (Oracle, Microsoft, IBM). <br /><br />Look back only a few decades, and we can see how the music distribution industry ripped off musicians and controlled what we heard. Any yet the internet has allowed grass-root musicians to take take control. Monopolies are not new, and the IT revolution has not been one-traffic in monopoly terms.<br /><br />To say the IT revolution is leading to serious consolidation is to ignore the consolation that is occurring in all industries in the globalisation era, and the explosion of small scale entrepreneurial activity that these platforms have fostered. We live in a world where even David Boyle has set up a publishing house courtesy of these evil platforms! But don't forgot, you have the power to sell independently of these platforms too - they don't control the internet. <br /><br />Managing monopolies has been a challenge for national governments for centuries. It is now little different to 100 year years ago. Spreading the profits of today's organisations is a simple enough problem, if only politicians were not left to make the decisions. Fortunately, in the end, even they will sort it out. <br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726324398934097722noreply@blogger.com