Working Knowledge

“This is a remarkable book, with a great deal of new information and a fresh perspective on the truly decentralized and diverse mechanisms that led to the corporate control of innovative activity we so often see today.” — Journal of American History

“A detailed, thoughtful study that makes effective use of archival business histories to illustrate how a few of the more interesting and pioneering American firms help to not only shape workplace innovation but also ultimately manage and regulate that knowledge. . . . Highly recommended.” — CHOICE

“Very readable and well-organized . . . of great interest to those specializing in contemporary aspects of intellectual property and labor and employment law, as well as to historians of labor, business, and technology.” — IP Law Book Review

“Fisk weaves together an exemplary narrative about the development of the modern American intellectual property regime…this masterful book is certain to remain the final word on this topic for a considerable amount of time.” — Essays in History

“Well worth the wait.” — EH.Net

“Working Knowledge is a tour de force. Fisk takes a series of subjects that individually are complex and multi-layered — labor relations, intellectual property rights, control over innovation — and weaves them together into a pattern that is both subtle and clear. Scholars of innovation, of labor relations, of intellectual property, and of legal history will all find something fascinating here. Highly recommended!” — James Boyle, author of The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind

“Fisk’s important and gracefully written book pulls together insights from disparate fields to inform our understanding of the creation and dissemination of intellectual property. The legal ideas are given life through an impressive and judicious use of archival material to illustrate how legal doctrine had an impact on the way lawyers, entrepreneurs, inventors, and capitalists shaped their business practices as well as their legal strategies. An impressive accomplishment.” — Alfred S. Konefsky, University at Buffalo Law School, The State University of New York