Can you own an idea? - lemm.ee
lemm.ee
Conceptually why have we made distinctions between property and intellectual ownership? and within that why does some intellectual property expire after a time and why do different things expire after different times? Are there some intellectual properties we cannot own like though itself? I guess essentially what I’m asking is why have we classified these differently and how have we justified that?
  • enkersEnglish
    2·
    7 months ago

    Yes. I own the idea of “owning an idea”, and you’re infringing my imaginary intellectual property rights. You must pay the licensing fee, or be subject to legal consequences.

  • ZombiFrancisEnglish
    1·
    7 months ago

    It is rooted in the concept of copyright: the right to copy. Centuries ago that was a much more tangible process of labor.

    The Press Act and Statue of Anne from England are kind of where the concept originated.

  • sugar_in_your_teaMEnglish
    1·
    7 months ago

    No. But you can have government/societal protections for sharing an idea.

    I personally think IP law should have a fairly limited duration, only long enough for the holder to establish first mover advantage as a reward for publicly sharing details. Initial ideas:

    • copyright - revert to the original 14 year duration (in the US), and consider going lower (like 10 years); derivative works should be encouraged
    • patents - 5-7 years from application, one time renewal if it takes longer to bring to market
    • trademark - current rules are fine, they’re basically protecting against fraud

    But none of this concerns ownership, but instead legal protections for sharing.