> When you look at how “IP” is used by firms, a very precise – albeit colloquial – meaning emerges:
> “IP is any law that I can invoke that allows me to control the conduct of my competitors, critics, and customers.”
> That is, in a world of uncertainty, where other people’s unpredictability can erode your profits, mire you in scandal, or even tank your business, “IP” is a means of forcing other people to arrange their affairs to suit your needs, even if that undermines their own needs.
Adam Smith is said to have written division of labor taken to extremes will turn humans dumber than the lowest animal
Hard to see how he was wrong. Low skilled individuals exist in a state of helplessness. Like turtles in their back. Can’t solve a problem; need a committee to form a problem solving committee.
> “IP is any law that I can invoke that allows me to control the conduct of my competitors, critics, and customers.”
> That is, in a world of uncertainty, where other people’s unpredictability can erode your profits, mire you in scandal, or even tank your business, “IP” is a means of forcing other people to arrange their affairs to suit your needs, even if that undermines their own needs.
-- Cory Doctorow, IP (Locus, Sep 2020), https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/