Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
Well no. Or what do you mean by "owned"? I really do not think you can own ideas.
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Of course you can; not in the sense of owning physical property, but as I pointed out before, an idea, particularly a complex one such as a novel or a piece of music, can unique to an individual. If I choose not to share it (and note, you can really only share something you own), then the idea remains unique to you.
Remember, ownership is as much a legal construct as it is an ethical one. Some states were constructed such that private ownership of anything does not exist. Since our modern world recognizes the notion of intellectual property, it does in a sense recognize the concept that it is possible to own ideas.
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Bill