[d@DCC] What is "intellectual property"?

[Russell McOrmond]

On Thu, 26 Sep 2002, Jason Young wrote:

> Without expression, there can be no copyright protection. Giving 
> copyright some unique life of its own separate from expression of the 
> idea engenders the expropriation attitude, which I think you 
> correctly point out is a big problem.

  The word 'property' is being used.  Rather than just trying to tell
people that the use of this word is invalid, which will get us nowhere, we
can explain what (if anything) can be considered property.

> But copyright is about owning - in a limited sense - the particular
> expression of an idea. There's no getting around that unless you want to
> get rid of copyright altogether.

  I can quote Thomas Jefferson again, but you have all read that (over and
over again ;-).  I simply reject the notion of copyright being about
ownership, whether ownership of an idea or ownership of an expression of
an idea, or anything else that involves the concept of ownership beyond
'ownership of a set of temporary exclusive rights that the Copyright Act
grants'.


  You don't need to get rid of copyright to separate the concept of 
ownership from the ideas or expressions of ideas.

---
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
 See http://weblog.flora.ca/ for announcements, activities, and opinions
 Submission to Innovation Strategy         | No2Violence in Politics
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