Quote from: FredericBastiat on August 30, 2011, 04:18:42 PM

Quote from: Hawker on August 30, 2011, 02:38:34 PM

I made no false assertion.

The issue here is whether or not society is entitled to reward research. Whether its investments in technology or medicine or even safe cars, society is entitled to enable that research and it uses intellectual property as the mechanism to do so. You and Frederic seem to think you have the right to dictate to the rest of society whether or not it has that right. You don't.

Society, as a group of many, or of one, has no right to force others to play along with their version of entitled reward research system. If you want to do research, do it on your own time and on your own dime or with your comrades. Form your own solidarity association independent of others. If you want to sell the research to someone or develop products from it, then convince them it has value. Maybe you'll get something for it.

Neither is society entitled to force anybody anywhere to "enable" that research. If by "enabling" you in some way encroach or attempt to encroach on my private property, you are enslaving me or are stealing from me. Not nice. Don't do it.

We can argue all the day long on society's proclivities. It isn't a question of what they can do, but whether they should do what their doing. Justify the doing please. Anybody can murder, plunder or enslave.

Just as others have shone in the past, society as a whole can commit the most heinous of crimes and depravities of every stripe upon their members in the name of the majority. Society is a collective of individuals acting in concert to achieve their goals. It is the manner in which they attempt to achieve them that matters.

Just because society has superior numbers doesn't make their acts any more right than before.

I'm glad you at least see the value in investing in research. All IP law requires is that when someone else has paid for research, you not copy it and resell it for your own profit. You are free to ignore it. You are free to make an alternative. But what you can't do is say "Bitcoin2Cash has developed a cure for cancer. He put all his savings into it and it works! I'll make millions if I copy it and sell it 10 cents cheaper than him." That is simple greed masquerading as a desire for freedom.

The core issue here is freedom. Disease is unpleasant and we want to reduce it. Life is hard and we want things that make it easier. Driving is dangerous and we want tobe able to buy safe cars. Society has given us the freedom to invest and try to achieve these goals. Society has given you total freedom except you can't take the outcome of someone else's labour and profit from it. You can't make a car and sell it as Ford Focus with a Ford logo on the bonnet. So what? You can't take the list of ingredients that is on a medicine bottle and sell your own copy. So what? These are not major losses of liberty unless liberty means the right to profit off someone else's investment.

If you say that your freedom to copy other people research results is essential to your liberty, you are being ridiculous. Society's freedom to find cures outweighs your freedom to make a quick profit off other people's work.