Culturally we’re taught that there is a moral component to copyright and patent law - that stealing is stealing. But the idea that words or thoughts or images can be owned (and that the might if the state can be brought to bear to enforce it) would seem utterly ludicrous to someone from an earlier era. Copyright and patent laws exist for practical, pragmatic reasons - and seemingly they have served us well, but it’s not unreasonable to re-examine them from first principals.
Culturally we’re taught that there is a moral component to copyright and patent law - that stealing is stealing. But the idea that words or thoughts or images can be owned (and that the might if the state can be brought to bear to enforce it) would seem utterly ludicrous to someone from an earlier era. Copyright and patent laws exist for practical, pragmatic reasons - and seemingly they have served us well, but it’s not unreasonable to re-examine them from first principals.