Quote:
Originally Posted by MarjaE
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As discussed above, property can help resolve disputes over rivalrous or scarce goods, but it can create disputes when expanded to non-rivalrous or non-scarce goods like stories, ideas, and so on.
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If you look at the thesis whose link I posted earlier, there is a quote from Thomas Jefferson which explains why he does not consider stories, ideas and the like as property.
The basic rational is if you have a book, and someone takes it, then you no longer have the book. You are lessen and damaged. On the other hand, if you have a book and someone copies it, then you are in no way damaged or lessened. You still have the property you had to begin with.
In general, what copyright does is provide a method for making sure that authors are paid for their work. Jefferson was both a writer and a scientist. The writing desk that he created is still in use. Benjamin Franklin, as most know, was a writer, publisher and inventor. He invented bifocal glasses, the Franklin stove and the lightning rod, among other things. He got his start as a newspaper publisher and started writing to provide content for his newspaper. Franklin was quite frustrated with the fact that other newspapers would copy his stories in their papers without credit or payment.
Most of the founding fathers were men of letters and well understood both the need to encourage authors and inventors, as well as the need for those writings and inventions to be made available to the public, for others to build on. Of course, there is one big point that hasn't really been brought up yet.
Back then, much of the writings were works of philosophy, science, history and the like rather than fiction, though of course fiction existed. Most educated people had read books like Ivanhoe or Pilgram's Progress, but it was history, philosophy and political theory that drew much of their attention. It's impossible to write such works without building on other such works. Perhaps it's possible to write a novel without building on someone else's work, but that's beside the point. Copyright is for all books, not just some.
Rather interestingly, when Franklin invented his stove, the Gov. General (the US still being a collection of colonies) offered him a patent to be the sole person who could manufacturer the stove. Franklin declined it because as he wrote in his autobiography "As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously,”