Supporting the Searcher: Welcome to micro-lending at large

I discovered Kiva a year ago and since then I have been excited for what it represents. Its business model arguably is the biggest progress in supporting development in the last decades. Have you ever imagined you could lend money to someone in Karachi, Pakistan starting a store? How about lending to open a weaving business in Chichicastenango, Guatemala? Now you can. Welcome to micro-lending at large.

On intellectual property

It is interesting that monopolies are out of fashion, except where intellectual property is concerned. For intellectual property, theory goes, monopoly rights are awarded by the government to foster the innovation process that is essential for the well-being and progress of society. In the case of patents, these rights allow patent holders to recover the costs incurred in research and development and obtain exclusive economic profit generated from the invention during the length of the patent.