Yakk

Because intellectual property is a figment of people's imagination, far more so than property.

The existance of government enforced monoplies on ideas comes from "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;" in the constitution.

You original wrote or invented it.

Thus, in order to promote such actions, the congress of the USA can secure for limited times the exlusive right to it.

You do not "own" it. You simply have the exclusive right to it for a limited time. This is only somewhat similar to property, hence the term, but it isn't the same beast.

If someone drinks your beer, you can no longer drink it.
If someone prints your book, you can still print it.

If invisible aliens arrived and took all the water in the world, we would all go thirsty.

If invisible aliens arrived and copied every note of music in the world, we wouldn't even notice.

In effect, I disagree with your "and therefore belongs to you". Thoughts, words, and ideas are not property. They do not behave like property, the history of how they are delt with legally isn't like the history of property, and the constitutional justification behind laws dealing with them is different than those that justify property.


But, like I said, I was being Pedantic, as in over literal, as in only true if you arrange definitions in annoyingly specific ways.

It is government-enforced content-sensative restrictions on what you can say or print or show: a form of government censorship.

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.