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Yes, because even the founders recognized that intellectual property is not real property. You can't stop people from copying ideas, and so they permitted copyr
by gergles 15y ago
Yes, because even the founders recognized that intellectual property is not real property. You can't stop people from copying ideas, and so they permitted copyright to be applied for a limited time in order to encourage people to release more creations (because they got rights to exploit them exclusively for a while), because the idea was that these creations entering the public domain would enrich the public domain for everyone. The fact that nothing is falling into the public domain (and probably never will again in our lifetimes if the status quo continues) is the biggest flaw in the current copyright system.
No, you don't get to own an idea forever just because you thought of it first. The very concept of 'owning ideas' is silly, but even if it wasn't, the second you tell it to someone else, it becomes part of the collective society and culture. If you don't like the deal that copyright gives you, you have a choice: don't share the idea at all. And that's fine, and I'm sure that the world would have kept spinning if nobody ever drew up MickeyMouse.