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0 pointsxpe2y ago0 comments

> ... you cannot “own” an idea.

Let's talk about ownership in a broader sense. In practice, one cannot effectively own (retain possession of) something without some combination of physical capability or coercion (or threat of coercion). Meaning: maintaining ownership of anything (physical or otherwise) often depends on the rule of law.

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thomastjeffery2y ago

Then let's use a more precise term that is also present in law: monopoly.

You can't monopolize an idea.

Copyright law is a prescription, not a description. Copyright law demands that everyone play along with the lie that is intellectual monopoly. The effectiveness of that demand depends on how well it can be enforced.

Playing pretend during the age of the printing press may have been easy enough to coordinate, but it's practically impossible here in the digital age.

If we were to increase enforcement to the point of effectiveness, then what society would be left to participate? Surely not a society I am keen to be a part of.

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