I have a very simple approach to IP, I don't believe in it. It's just that simple. I have a very simple approach to
property rights:
- If you can't own your property without using aggressive violence, then it should not be your property
Or it other words only defensive violence is allowed. And we must be careful with the term "defense", because defense in the USA means conducting military drills 100 meters from the Russian border. So the term "defense" has to be re-analyzed.
Copyright
In copyright this could be applied easily, since digital information is not unique, it can be copied infinite times (CTRL+C,CTRL+V), and it can't be contained, since the internet is very public, therefore you can only have have property of a digital information if:
- It's kept completely secret, so it's not published (like a password or private key)
- If you actively aggress against anyone who violates your claim over that property
And I think the second part is outrageous. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying people should ignore it, don't do that, because the Government will come after you if you do.
I don't ignore copyright laws simply because I know that the Government will use violence against me, so even if you don't believe in the principle you must still obey the laws because otherwise you expose yourself to huge problems.
But there is also an element of respect there. For example if there would be no copyright, and somebody were to write a book, and you were to copy that book, change the cover and sell it as your own, it would be a very dick move. The author put a lot of work into that book so it's very disrespectful to just do that.
So if there would be no copyright laws, people would still have to respect other people. I mean just because you are on an island with 2 women, that doesn't mean you have the right to rape them, just because there is no police around. People have to respect eachother, respect is better than force, and might doesn't make right.
So I believe copyright laws should be abolished, but I still believe people should be respectful to content creators afterwards, just out of respect for the work, not because the Government compels people.
Patents
Patents are just horrible, I think they should just be abolished immediately. It destroys innovation.
Just look at what is happening in the Blockchain, scumbags are basically patenting 2-3 lines of code, and then nobody can use that code in their software without big royalty fees.
So Satoshi started an avalanche of innovation and scumbags are basically halting it with their big fees. Even a small fee for an indie project can be devastating.
So Patents should absolutely not exist in a free society.
Trade Secret
Trade secrets are OK, however people should just keep them secret. I mean why do you need the Government to protect your TS if you can just keep it a secret? And if it’s leaked then just hold the person who leaked it accountable.
Like for example your Investment Strategy could be a trade secret. Fine. Then just keep it secret, and then you can just sell it to people you trust who won't publicize it, if you want.
Trademark
Trademarks are a bit tricky. I mean sure claiming a monopoly over a word is bad, however I am a bit undecided here, because this could also lead to impersonations, and that could lead to scams.
I mean if the "Steemit" website would not be trademarked, then people would just copy paste it, create their own, and most likely setup phishing websites that look like Steemit, just to steal your password.
So the link "steemit.com" is unique in the DNS system, so it has to be unique in the Trademark system as well.
So I agree with the Trademark concept, although I think it should still not be violently enforced, but like with software codes, the way the DNS system made web addresses unique.
Industrial Design Right
It's like a mixture of copyright and patents, and I don't think there should be a monopoly here. Although again, there could be a lot of work in a design, so I don't think it's respectable to copy one and claim ownership over it.
At best case scenario the author of such design should be highly attributed, but other than that, if they really want to keep their design secret, then just don't share it. Use your own 3D printer to design and create stuff without other's knowing it.
Sources:
https://pixabay.com
