3 ms·
A similar argument could be made for copyrighting government works: maybe no one would publish them if not granted a monopoly, and maybe getting a kickback woul
by unchocked 10y ago
A similar argument could be made for copyrighting government works: maybe no one would publish them if not granted a monopoly, and maybe getting a kickback would incentivize government employees to create copyrightable works.
... I'm glad it isn't, and am inclined to view government patents in the same way most of us view crown copyright.
- ghaff 10y agoThe cases are pretty different. The government isn't generally creating copyrightable works with the hope of turning a profit on them. They're creating them, e.g. as part of the mission of an agency. Think NASA photographs for example. To be copyrightable, the work needs to exist in more or less final form. That's what is copyrighted. By contrast, while what's patented goes beyond an idea, it may not be usable for anything until someone has spent significant money to commercialize it--and maybe not even then.