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Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore
Does this not also apply to physical property as well?
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If you want a scary take on that very question, Google 'Monsanto' and read about what they are doing to farmers who purchase (or don't purchase) their genetically modified soybean plants. Basically, even if you don't purchase from them, they can still persecute you if they believe the wind blew some of their plants into your field and contaminated it, thereby giving them a stake in your stuff. Brave new world indeed!
As for the cultural question, the issue is that works are not created in a vacuum. Authors draw on what came before, Just as Gregory Macguire (for instance) used L. Frank Baum's Oz stories as inspiration (and was permitted to do so since they are public domain) so too must his Wicked books eventually enter the public domain to be used by others. It's a social contract. The length of time it will take for this new work to enter the public domain is perhaps debatable, but the underlying social contract behind it is well-entrenched and imho justified.