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I don't think Jefferson's opinion was dissenting? After having been protected for a limited time, works fall into the public domain where they remain in perpet
by Kim_Bruning 3y ago
I don't think Jefferson's opinion was dissenting?
After having been protected for a limited time, works fall into the public domain where they remain in perpetuity. I think he got everything he wanted!
Well, until the mid-20th century, at least.
- bumby 3y agoI don’t disagree that there’s a good argument that the copyright system has been corrupted. That’s a different argument than is made in the video, which is about the indivisibility of intellectual property.
- Kim_Bruning 3y agoAFAICT the video is a modern take on Thomas Jefferson's arguments. What do you mean by "the indivisibility of intellectual property." ?
- bumby 3y agoIndivisibility refers to the fact that an unlimited number of people can consume intellectual property, which differentiates it from tangible property. In the video, she uses multiple copied bicycles to illustrate the point. I think Jefferson was making a more nuanced point, namely that someone should not be given exclusive ownership of an idea in perpetuity, and specifically rails against the concept of inheritability of intellectual property. But he also carved out a caveat that “Society may give an exclusive right to the profits arising from them, as an encouragement to men to pursue ideas which may produce utility, but this may or may not be done, according to the will and convenience of the society” That falls right in line with what the constitution conveys. There is nothing contradictory between Jeffersons words and what ended up in the constitution as I read it. With all that said, again, it doesn’t necessarily matter what a single founding father thought. What matters is what they codified into law as a group, and if society has modified that law.