KOL497 | Debate: “Should Free Cities Protect Intellectual Property?” Free Cities Foundation Annual Conference — Próspera, Honduras 2026

Kinsella on Liberty Podcast: Episode 497.

Yesterday (Sep. 5, 2026) I participated in the debate: “Should Free Cities Protect Intellectual Property?” with IP attorney Brian O’Beirne, moderated by Tipolis CFO Alex VossTopic, held at the Free Cities Foundation annual Conference, Próspera, Honduras, Sept. 4–7 (Sat. Sept. 5, 2026) (SK profile; O'Beirne profile) (see Free Cities Foundation Annual Conference — Próspera 2026).

https://youtu.be/4GWPdxnpCOI

I spoke for 4 minutes, then Brian, and then we had an exchange and audience questions for the remaining time. It was very civil unlike some other debates I've participated in. (( KOL038 | Debate with Robert Wenzel on Intellectual Property; KOL123 | Debate with Jan Helfeld on Anarchy vs. Limited Government. )) One thing I liked is that Brian started off admitting, first, that he has some sympathy for my anti-IP position, and, second, that he acknowledged that opposition to IP is the libertarian position--unlike other libertarian IP proponents who claim that IP rights are compatible with libertarianism, if not the "heart and core" (Ayn Rand) or property rights or  . ((

Objectivists: “All Property is Intellectual Property”

A Recurring Fallacy: “IP is a Purer Form of Property than Material Resources”

The “Ontology” Mistake of Libertarian Creationists. )) "primary property" (Galambos). (( Galambos and Other Nuts; Rothbard and Galambosians; The Galambosians strike back; “Around this time I met the Galambosian.”; Libertarian Sci-Fi Authors and Copyright versus Libertarian IP Abolitionists; Was Galambos an IP Thief?; Galambos the Crank; Shades of Galambos: Man tries to copyright his name. ))

Transcript and shownotes below.

Re other IP debates:

In his defense, as far as I know my opponent does not purport to have a coherent theory of property or IP or libertarianism. Go here https://t.co/rRs61a68M6 and search for the word "debate" for several others -- Richard Epstein was more coherent, but totally utilitarian; he…

— Stephan Kinsella (@NSKinsella) September 8, 2026

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