Intellectual property

Intellectual Property rights are legally recognized exclusive rights to creations of the mind. While the creation may be primarily the work of the mind it is also the result of physical labor which has created or brought the creation int oa physical representation.

While the authorship of a book is a product of the mind it is also a product of time and energy to present it in a readable form.

Rights may be endowed upon us when we conform to natural law by accepting natural responsibilities and expend energy and time in a natural effort.

I plant a tree and cultivate it for 10 years until it bears fruit if someone comes and takes that fruit we call it stealing.

I spend ten years researching and writing a book and take it to a printer and give him permission to print my book and sell it on the condition that anyone who buys it does not buy the right to copy the book for profit. Back at the apple tree I let people come and look at the tree, even rest in the shade but they are not allowed to eat the fruit without my permission.

The right to the fruit of my labor in both cases is proper. We call it a property right.

If I die I bequeath the right to the fruit of my labor to my family as an inheritance. That is a natural and proper right because the kingdom of God is from generation to generation. Now one may claim a property right in an idea because they wrote it on a piece of paper but the idea is not necessarily grant a right. The idea may be the product of revelation and revelation has a way of appearing in many minds at the same time and a property right may not exist in what we call an idea. Over zealous claims may create a gray area but if justice is written in the hearts of the people they will see the distinctions.

To imagine that someone an spend ten year writing a book and saving money to print a hundred copies to sell and a wealthy printer can come and print 10,000 copies and walk away with the profits of those ten years of labor is okay and not an injustice is myopic.

So yes there is something that can be called an Intellectual property but it must be established by labor and contractual agreement or custom.

The greyness of their limits is the product of the peoples ability to see the truth not the Intellectual property right itself.

Fraud

Some say that it would be fraud if I changed the name on a book authored and printed it and sold it for my benefit. But who could I have defrauded by reprinting a book I did not write if there was not a property right to the book to begin with.

If there is no right then there is no injury.

If there is no injury then there is no fraud.

If I do not change the name on the book but reprint someone else's book and make a fortune selling it there is not even the hint of fraud but he starves because he did not have the resources to print the book and I did. Then that is just his tough luck and I benefit from his years of hard work and I walk away with the fruit of his labor because you are saying that there is no right by whatever name.

With no right there is no injury or fraud or theft.

Since God owns everything and an apple tree is the result or product of nature how can we claim a right to its fruit? That would mean if you became a quadriplegic and could not pick your apples from the tree you planted and pruned I could pick them and take the profit for myself simply beause you did not have the means to do it for yourself.

The term intellectual property was invented to deal with the injustice of one man profiting from the labor of another who suffers a loss.

The creation of intellectual property as a concept to aid in the quest for justice does not mean that it cannot be used to perpetrate injustice. But to claim that intellectual property rights do not exist must be denied in the interest of justice.