What Are the True Implications of Copyright and Ownership?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Per
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the complexities of copyright and ownership, particularly in relation to music and agricultural products. It emphasizes that while a music creator holds ownership rights that include exclusive use and the ability to copy their work, a purchaser of the music only acquires limited use rights, not ownership. This distinction highlights the creator's unique position in retaining design ownership, which is crucial for duplication rights. The conversation then extends to agricultural ownership, using potatoes as an example. It argues that while a farmer owns the potatoes they grow, they do not own the underlying design of the potatoes, which belongs to nature. This raises philosophical questions about the nature of ownership itself, suggesting that ownership is a human construct that may not hold true in a broader context. The discussion concludes with a reflection on the informal and subjective aspects of ownership, contrasting legal claims with the natural world’s indifference to human ownership.
Per
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
I am currently philosophying about copyrights and ownership.

What I want is to have general laws of ownership.

Take music for example,

The music creator has ownership of his/her music. What does this ownership mean? Ususally ownership means exclusive use rights. This creator can copy his/her music without breaking the law. However some other party cannot copy the music without breaking the law. If however this other party buys the music, then does this mean the party owns the music. No, the party has only acquired use rights of the music. But does use rights include copying. No. What differs from the creator then and the party that bought the music? Possibly both have use rights to the music, but the creator has also design ownership. Without design ownership one cannot duplicate the music.

Does it make sense or are you confused. It gets worse.

Now consider that everything can be described as information.

A farmer grows potatoes. Potatoes are information just like a music piece stored in mp3 format. OK. Now does the farmer have design ownership to the potatoes? No. Nature does. But does the farmer own the potatoes he grows. Yes. In a sense, the farmer is approximately copying potatoes using natures desing; and he has a implicit agreement with nature (who owns the design of potatoes) to use copy rights from the design, free of charge. But does Nature own the potates or does the farmer own the potatoes he grows. The farmer owns the potates, however not the design of potatoes. Therefore the farmer has the right to sell the potates, so that he gets payed for the work done in copying potates.

Does it make sense?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Per,

the life is not that formal...
take it easy - invite your girlfriend to a good restaunt, have a good time - just don't think on the stuff like that - just imagine what is beyond the usual boundary of modern human perception!
 
"Ownership" is just a label we humans give to things. I may have papers claiming I "own" my property, but do I really, compared to the Earth? Does the Earth say "thank you master for paying your mortgage. Please take good care of this portion of me that you own." The paper keeps other humans off the premises. But what do those rabbits care; they still eat the potatoes growing here! Doing a plat of survey and determining precise coordinates of ownership isn't really different than a wolf peeing on a tree.

The potato and the MP3 are the same. The only difference is Nature isn't going to sue you like Metallica will.
 
https://www.newsweek.com/robert-redford-dead-hollywood-live-updates-2130559 Apparently Redford was a somewhat poor student, so was headed to Europe to study art and painting, but stopped in New York and studied acting. Notable movies include Barefoot in the Park (1967 with Jane Fonda), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, with Paul Newma), Jeremiah Johnson, the political drama The Candidate (both 1972), The Sting (1973 with Paul Newman), the romantic dramas The Way We Were (1973), and...
Back
Top