[gurps] Treaty on Public Utilities and life support devices

[Knapp]

On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 4:48 PM, Eric Funk
<eric_funk_anti_spam_this_is_a_real_email_address at r3d.net> wrote:
>> Laws regarding intellectual property may be an invention of the state,
>> but the idea behind IP is not.
>>
>> Example:
>> I paint a scene that is wholely a work of my imagination (IE something
>> that doesn't occur naturally, the only source of inspiration would be
>> my painting).  I refuse to allow anyone else to paint a copy of it.
>> Someone does, I beat them up.  The state is not enforcing this, I am.
>
> In your example, what if company B has 50 armed gunmen, and you (as
> independent artist) only have one (or none)? How is your IP enforced?
>
> In a fictional world, does it resort to megacorps sponsors who, through the
> equivalent of international treaties, enforce it for you? We're back to
> governments...  Outside such a protection racket, we might only have the
> altruistic scientists who invent because "this invention should be in all
> homes in the world!"
>
> -
> Eric Funk

Or the type that I think make Open Source work. These are the ones
that do it because they like to and really don't care much about
anything else but perhaps some praise. I know that I write software
because it is fun for me to do it and then I just give it away because
what else can I do with it?

-- 
Douglas E Knapp

Why do we live?