Knowledge capitalism: The legal enclosure of intangibles
Resumen
Este artículo examina el surgimiento del capitalismo del conocimiento, un sistema económico en el que los activos intangibles —como el conocimiento, las ideas y la información— constituyen el principal medio de producción y la fuente de valor corporativo. Argumenta que la protección legal del conocimiento mediante los derechos de propiedad intelectual (DPI), en particular las patentes, ha impulsado este cambio. Si bien estos derechos incentivan la innovación, también generan poder monopolístico, refuerzan las desigualdades globales y reconfiguran la competencia al favorecer a las corporaciones que poseen numerosos DPI, especialmente en el sector tecnológico. El análisis revela que las patentes sirven como instrumentos de control económico, configurando los mercados, las relaciones laborales y el comercio global, además de simplemente brindar protección legal. El Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC es un ejemplo de la globalización de este régimen, que ha institucionalizado las disparidades entre las economías avanzadas y en desarrollo. Además, el crecimiento de la inteligencia artificial y las infraestructuras en la nube exacerba estas tendencias monopolísticas. En última instancia, el capitalismo del conocimiento perpetúa la lógica capitalista tradicional de acumulación, exacerbando la desigualdad y planteando preguntas urgentes sobre la gobernanza del conocimiento y la distribución equitativa de sus beneficios.
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