Property rights (both physical and intellectual)

[monocrat]

Should intellectual property rights be as strictly enforced as physical property rights?

For example, you couldn't steal someone's car as it violates their property rights. But if a person creates a piece of music or literature, why can't others duplicate their work?

[Man Of Kent]

Originally posted by monocrat
For example, you couldn't steal someone's car as it violates their property rights. But if a person creates a piece of music or literature, why can't others duplicate their work?

So what is "copyright" then?

Perhaps it is me, but that question doesn't make sense...

[Darth Fred]

Intellectual property rights should be enforced, if for no other reason than to provide an incentive to future innovation (if anyone else can simply steal any idea someone comes up with, why should they bother inventing anything? They won't be the ones to make money off it, at least without a patent system of some description).

[Man Of Kent]

Originally posted by Darth Fred
Intellectual property rights should be enforced, if for no other reason than to provide an incentive to future innovation (if anyone else can simply steal any idea someone comes up with, why should they bother inventing anything? They won't be the ones to make money off it, at least without a patent system of some description).

Okay, so what if I employ you to come up with innovative ideas. Who keeps intellectual property rights then?

[Darth Fred]

Originally posted by Man Of Kent
Okay, so what if I employ you to come up with innovative ideas. Who keeps intellectual property rights then?

I believe that the inventor does, unless the employment contract specifically states otherwise. I suspect that any company large enough to employ people to come up with significant patentable ideas will have a carefully written contract to ensure that any ideas are the exclusive property of the firm, not the individual.

[Man Of Kent]

But if the inventor is working alone, doesn't he have right under the "patents" laws?

[Darth Fred]

Originally posted by Man Of Kent
But if the inventor is working alone, doesn't he have right under the "patents" laws?

I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that if he is working alone, and not under contract to anyone else, then he has the right to apply for a patent, at which point the innovation is his intellectual property and cannot be used by others without his permission.

[cokephreak]

I think intelectual copyrights should be enforced to a degree while the person that created the copyright'd material is still alive.

After that it should be free and owned by every person in the world, as it's a human achievement, and we should all share in it.

[Kermit]

Originally posted by cokephreak
I think intelectual copyrights should be enforced to a degree while the person that created the copyright'd material is still alive.

After that it should be free and owned by every person in the world, as it's a human achievement, and we should all share in it.

So how would you deal with achievements by a company?

Anyway, a patent is only valid for 25 years, after which anyone can use it, which is why so many things are not patented. Like the recipe for Coke.