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Story: Gates: Restricting IP rights is tantamount to communism
Posted by: Brent Roberts (Thursday 13 January 2005, 9:13 AM)
Lets stick with the mousetrap example. The purpose of intellectual property rights is to prevent someone from deriving an unearned benefit, at the expense of someone who has earned it. Lets stick with the mousetrap example. One has invented a mousetrap. A copycat cannot, under a system defending rights, come along an replicate this. The system demands somehting more difficult of him: he must invent a better mousetrap to earn money. Such is the nature of rights and their relationship to innovation.
"In exactly the same way, the private holder of IP rights can take away the freedom to action of others using their IP."
Kevin, if you were a private owner of an automobile and I came along and tried to take it from you, what would you tell me if I said "I want this car, don't take away my freedom to drive it!" Its your car, so I cannot rightfully take it, correct? This is not beause you have a right to a car, it is becuase you have the right to dispose of the product of your effort. If you have earned the car, then it is one such product. ANd if you stole it, you would be no better than me the theif, and the true tights to the car would belong to the car's producer. What is essential is the rigth to what one has earned.
Full Talkback thread
Story: Gates: Restricting IP rights is tantamount to communism
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The magic word "communism" always seems to be used... Arthur B. -
Are we suddenly back in the 1950s? Perhaps Mr... Chris Rankin -
I agree with Arthur B.
Mr Gates should read... Micheal H
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Gates is precisely correct: communism operat... Brent Roberts
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Confusion between IP rights and copyrigh... Steve B -
Brent Roberts is wrong.
"Gates is precis... Kevin Peacock
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There can be so such 'rights' which... Brent Roberts -
Brent. Sigh. Communism has not... Arthur B.
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If a requisite of "skills, kno... Brent Roberts
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Brent. I would like to recomme... Arthur B.
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An interesting debate Brent, b... Kevin Peacock
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Lets stick with the mousetrap... Brent Roberts -
A good reply Arthur.
Brent, I... Kevin Peacock
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Hi Brent, what OO version are you using... ricardo mardisich
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Ricardo – I'm using version 1.1.1.... Brent Roberts
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Oh bugger off, the world's a better place with win... samuel
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Samuel,
Replying to you in the same vein as y... Andy
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Not much ammunition left for Mr Gates.
I... Anonymous
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The world Mr Gates wants to see has far more in co... Kevin Peacock
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I see he's had to resort to name-calling again.
So... Steve J
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World is much worse off thanks to MS and IBM... Steve B
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I think that Gates is unwanted and unnee... NJ
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Kevin. Well said. Very well said.
B... Arthur B.
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"Its eyes ever set on the competition, Microsoft w... Ricardo Mardisich
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Microsoft Litigation Resource Page
"the world... ricardo mardisich
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Ricardo, thanks for your comment. We wou... Matt Loney
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Beside the fact that this is nothing more than FUD... BURNAND Patrick
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I find Bill Gates comments on mesh networking inte... Andy Coney
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In a similar discussion on IP rights on a dif... Mark Jones
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Anonymous
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