Quote:
Originally Posted by HansTWN
We discussed this previously in other threads, the first Western example of copyright I know of was granted by the king of Spain to Antonio Pigafetta in 1523 (Pigafetta was the chronicler for Magellan's expedition and the king did not want to pay him, so he gave Pigafetta 20 years copyright on the published expedition record...
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I think I'm missing your point; even in your own example there's a limited term of copyright, not forever. Doesn't that suggest that copyright is different than normal property law, was always recognized as such, and then that difference was codified? And in any event, laws have shifting purposes; tax law wasn't initially used to benefit stay-at-home moms either, but that doesn't stop that from being one of its (many) purposes.
I'm just not quite following how you can agree with Tubemonkey but also cite examples that show that copyright and property rights are different and have been recognized as such for hundreds of years. Where exactly is it that you believe that copyright law flows from (natural rights? God?) if not the common law and copyright legislation, and why do you think it should be given such special treatment?