A Better Idea

With a little perserverence you can get things done
Without the blind adherence that has conquered some
--Corey Hart

Leonard Read was a pioneer in questioning the sensibility of intellectual property protection. The basic argument is that 'ideas' cannot be claimed as property because the inputs employed have no clean title. That is, the ideas that I might 'create' are a composite of ideas/thoughts borrowed from others. It is impossible to separate the thoughts that are truly mine from thoughts that I may have borrowed from others.

Contrast this with property obtained by application of labor to raw materials and capital where ownership is clear. If I own the inputs, then the output is mine. If someone else owns the inputs, then the output is his/hers; as an employee, I essentially keep a portion of the output as my own based on whatever salary arrangement I have agreed to.

Read's point rings true. Ideas come from we know not where. They are not meant to be stored or monopolistically protected. They are meant to be shared--freely given as received.

Postscript: Leonard Read never copyrighted his work. He encouraged users of his work to copy it liberally. Very admirable.