Plurib.us

An erudelicious legal discussion of copyright:

Vaidhyanathan observes, “copyright in the American tradition was not meant to be a “property right” as the public generally understands property. It was originally a narrow federal policy that granted a limited trade monopoly in exchange for universal use and access”. This paper explores the ways in which “property talk” has infiltrated copyright discourse and endangered the utility of the law in fostering free and diverse forms of creative expression. The possessiveness and exclusion that accompany “property talk” are difficult to reconcile with the utilitarian foundations of copyright.

Information is weird—I can give you my idea, and I can still keep my idea.  In fact, everyone can have my idea.  (The article is citation-heavy and informationally dense, but it’s not very long.)

journal.media-culture.org.au/0609/5-collins...