Industrial Bill of Rights
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Article 6. Government shall make no law which abridges the right of managers or owners to introduce a new product or new technology to the market, except to assure that risks or hazards associated with the product or technology are made known to the buyer.

The Right to Introduce New Products and Technologies

The introduction of a new product or a new technology to the market usually results in a loss of business for the purveyors of the previously used technology or product. These "defenders" often attempt to protect their business by calling on the government to protect them against the "challenger." The arguments of the"defenders" are usually couched in terms of "public good," such as continued employment for particular workers, or economic activity in a particular geographical area. In reality the defenders are asking the government to violate the rights of those who would prefer to buy the new product or use the new technology, and the rights of those who offer the new product or technology for sale.

Some recent examples of government restrictions on new technology, to benefit the suppliers of older technology, include: (1) restrictions on Cable TV, to protect over-the-air TV stations; (2) limitations on use of Bovine Growth Hormone, which increases the milk production of cows, because it would put some dairy farmers out of business; (3) restrictions on Digital Audio Tape recorders because this technology might limit the sales of pre-recorded music.

The point is simply that no one has a right to continue to do business in a particular way. No one has a right to the continued patronage of specific customers if those customers can find a better deal elsewhere.

The narrow self-interest of particular producers must not be allowed to override the rights of other producers to enter a business, or the rights of buyers to transfer their patronage to a supplier who provides better service, a superior product or some other perceived benefit. Harm to a seller cannot justify denying another seller the right to enter a market.

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