Views within the liberty world are changing on this
You must be logged in.
You must be logged in.
Kinsella
Or maybe just coming back around:
He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper [(candle)] at mine, receives light without darkening me.
That ideas should freely spread from one to another over the globe, for the moral and mutual instruction of man, and improvement of his condition, seems to have been peculiarly and benevolently designed by nature, when she made them, like fire, expansible over all space, without lessening their density in any point, and like the air in which we breathe, move, and have our physical being, incapable of confinement or exclusive appropriation.
It’s ironic that Jefferson wound up heading the US Patent Office, after his scathing attack on IP.
Jefferson’s statement on this is one of the most profound ever uttered. Confession that when I read this my estimation of his intellect when WAY up even from having revered him already.
It’s remarkable that he understood that ended up being lost of generations classical liberals in the 19th and 20th century, only to be rediscovered in the 21st century by McElroy, Konkin, and of course the great Kinsella.
That which comes from the invisible world cannot be claimed although it can be used. Other human beings by their very nature also have access to the invisible world. Once that which comes from the invisible world is brought into the visible world it has the same fate as all entrepreneurial endeavors which means that it exists in a world of competitive entrepreneurship. Those who are able to create what people value over time and space will be the rightful steward of that which came from the invisible world. It may very well be a short-lived ‘profit’ due to the forces of competitive entrepreneurship.
I absolutely love the power of the maker movement and I firmly believe that it wouldn’t be here without open source software and now open source hardware. The open source movement and maker movement are one and the same, and its so beautiful to see. The fact that IP only hinders this is sort of coming around to more people I think. Not only that but when you start talking about patenting genetic material we start wading out into dangerous waters.
I was prepared for this to be a Kinsella fan thread, and I must confess I am slightly disappointed it isn’t. I don’t agree with him on *everything*, but it’s damn near close, and he’s an awesome thinker. Plus, he’s hilarious on Facebook.
