“Intellectual property” is a silly euphemism
Boing Boing co-editor Cory Doctorow argues that ideas, knowledge, and information, should not be referred to as “property”, as they are intangible and cannot effectively be owned by anyone once they have been shared with someone else.
If you trespass on my flat, I can throw you out (exclude you from my home). If you steal my car, I can take it back (exclude you from my car). But once you know my song, once you read my book, once you see my movie, it leaves my control. Short of a round of electroconvulsive therapy, I can’t get you to un-know the sentences you’ve just read here.
