Re:Did You Say “Intellectual Property”? It's a Seductive Mirage
by npsimons on Sunday May 18, 2014 @01:30PM
(#7763641)
Intellectual property law adds the force of the state to concepts/ideas/media/etc that originated by the sweat of my brow, to encourage the creation of more, and to enable me to make a living from it.
Except that little pesky thing called the constitution doesn't call it intellectual property (rightly so), and the purpose is not to enable making a living from ideas (which doesn't follow; just because someone has a copyright or patent, doesn't mean they'll make a living from those ideas, and not having a copyright or patent doesn't preclude them from making a living off their ideas). The wording is pretty explicit: "to advance science and the useful arts."
Except that little pesky thing called the constitution doesn't call it intellectual property (rightly so), and the purpose is not to enable making a living from ideas (which doesn't follow; just because someone has a copyright or patent, doesn't mean they'll make a living from those ideas, and not having a copyright or patent doesn't preclude them from making a living off their ideas). The wording is pretty explicit: "to advance science and the useful arts."