Even more than authorship, ownership is challenged by the rise of digital and computational methods of design and production. These challenges are simultaneously legal, ethical and economic. How are new methods of fabrication and manufacture going to irreversibly change not only ways of working, but also designers’ ethics and their stance on ownership? In his 2013 second-term State of the Union address, President Obama stated that 3D printing ‘has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything’. Nowhere will the impact of 3D printing be felt greater than in the architectural and design communities. When anyone can print out an object or structure from a digital file, will designers still exert the same creative rights or will they need to develop new practice and payment models? As architecture becomes more collaborative with open-source processes, will the emphasis on signature as the basis of ownership remain relevant? How will wider teams working globally be accredited and compensated? This issue of AD explores this subject; it features the work of designers who are developing wholly new approaches to practice by exploring means of commercialising process-based products rather than objects. Contributors: Phil Bernstein, Mark Garcia, Antoine Picon, Carlo Ratti and David Ruy Featured architects: Francis Bitonti, Marjan Colletti, Wendy W Fok, Panagiotis Michalatos, Jose Sanchez, Thibault Schwartz, Aaron Sprecher, Feng Xu and Philip Yuan

An argument for retaining the notion of personal property in the products we “buy” in the digital marketplace. If you buy a book at the bookstore, you own it. You can take it home, scribble in the margins, put in on the shelf, lend it to a friend, sell it at a garage sale. But is the same thing true for the ebooks or other digital goods you buy? Retailers and copyright holders argue that you don't own those purchases, you merely license them. That means your ebook vendor can delete the book from your device without warning or explanation—as Amazon deleted Orwell's 1984 from the Kindles of surprised readers several years ago. These readers thought they owned their copies of 1984. Until, it turned out, they didn't. In The End of Ownership, Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz explore how notions of ownership have shifted in the digital marketplace, and make an argument for the benefits of personal property. Of course, ebooks, cloud storage, streaming, and other digital goods offer users convenience and flexibility. But, Perzanowski and Schultz warn, consumers should be aware of the tradeoffs involving user constraints, permanence, and privacy. The rights of private property are clear, but few people manage to read their end user agreements. Perzanowski and Schultz argue that introducing aspects of private property and ownership into the digital marketplace would offer both legal and economic benefits. But, most important, it would affirm our sense of self-direction and autonomy. If we own our purchases, we are free to make whatever lawful use of them we please. Technology need not constrain our freedom; it can also empower us.

Owned provides a legal analysis of the legal, social, and technological developments that have driven an erosion of property rights in the digital context.

This timely book shows readers that their creative work--whether a photo, a painting, music, data, or a new game--is like money in the bank, and controlling its content means big profits.

L'era digitale ha rivoluzionato il regno della proprietà intellettuale, portando sia opportunità senza precedenti che sfide significative. “La proprietà intellettuale nell'era digitale” si addentra nelle complessità di questa trasformazione, esplorando l'impatto delle tecnologie digitali sulla legge e sulla pratica della proprietà intellettuale. Il libro copre un'ampia gamma di argomenti, tra cui la protezione dei contenuti digitali, l’esecuzione dei diritti di proprietà intellettuale online e il ruolo delle tecnologie emergenti come l'intelligenza artificiale e la blockchain nella gestione della proprietà intellettuale. Attraverso un mix di analisi teorica e casi pratici, questo libro fornisce una comprensione approfondita di come la digitalizzazione stia influenzando la proprietà intellettuale, offrendo spunti preziosi per professionisti legali, accademici e politici. DOI: 10.13134/979-12-5977-364-7

'A masterful narration on the digitization of property in China.'Tan YinglanFounding Managing PartnerInsignia Ventures Partners, Singapore'...captures the fascinating story of 'smart city initiatives' and tells you all you need to know.'Ben ShenglinProfessor & DeanInternational Business SchoolZhejiang University, Hangzhou'...smartly combines economics, geo-politics, finance and real estate.'Joshua VargheseFounding Partner, Axia Real Assets, TorontoLong-planned advances in China — in 5G, blockchain, central bank coins, and SME superapps — have coalesced into a new world of digitized, tokenized, and tradable assets. New digital mega-projects like the Blockchain Service Network, smart cities, and new foreign exchange digital rails are animating physical assets: offices, warehouses, homes, and farms. Powered by a network of sensors, AI, and distributed trust, property has digitized wings. The resulting inflow of data from every part of the 'built' world will create new industries, uproot traditional finance, and transform cities.The global trade war is not just a re-ordering of technology: it's a re-ordering of cities. Nations which export this digital technology first will alter the digital fabric of the developing world. A digital Non-Aligned Movement is afoot! One way for the US to catch up is public-private partnerships between Silicon Valley and DC — or just 'copy' China. This book explores the many people and companies, large and small, which are blazing new trails in China's 'Internet of Everything' to transform the way we live, buy, and move.