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First of all, we could do with some global recognition of the fact that knowledge is a global public good. But even if that were achieved tomorrow, it would only mean that knowledge could then join other global public goods, like air and water, in the struggle to survive the insane (from a planetary and evolutionary perspective) decisions of corrupt politicians and inept judges.

Knowledge has few allies in our halls of government and our courts. The political and economic landscape of the U.S. is now an ethics-free zone. Canada is a self-righteous lap dog. Putting the public trust under the thumb of monopoly capitalism is just not an issue in our neck of the globe. Seriously, we just don't give a crap. Even those of us in the "public" higher education system have stopped even tryng to feign indignation when we are included in North America's "knowledge industries."

OK, this is clearly a rant from one of North American civilisation's pinko discontents, so if we're the problem, who is the solution? I'm banking on vested self-interest. In the EU, concerns about creating and maintaining a competitive edge far outstrip concerns about the stewardship of public goods. Our faint hope is that Asia and the developing world will make such abominations as the Blackboard LMS patent "globally" irrelevant by simply ignoring them.