Professor Robert Merges of UCal Law School, one of the leading thinkers on intellectual property, shares the interest in 19th century railroads as a forerunner of current IP issues. His 2003 article on "The Uninvited Guest: Patents on Wall Street" draws on the Steven Usselman work cited here last week.

For more of Merges' work, including his Cato Policy Paper on compulsory licensing, see his website.