The Academic Mind, and Intellectual Property

A lot of people in SL don’t “get me” when it comes to my view on intellectual property (music, software, art, writing, design, etc). I’ve read posts that say it’s just the way of the future that these ideas of original creator will break down and become grass-roots and community based notions. Not if I can help it. Sound nasty or short-sighted..? It’s not, really. If you want to try to understand my point of view you need to understand my background – the academic mind.

In my world – the “Ivory Tower” some call it – the product of your mind is everything: It is the grades that get you your job and it is the thing which keeps you in your job. If you were to pass off someone else’s ideas or product as your own you would be under-cutting the foundation and point of the institution: Original creativity, new knowledge, new ideas, which ultimately benefit mankind, and are properly rewarded with prestige, power and monetary reward.

Still sound nasty and short-sighted? Well then you’ll have to have an indepth discussion with me about ethics and law and probably get a bit into logic, metaphyics, epistemology and politics. If at that stage you still understand (or care) what I’m going on about, I’d make impressed noises and hold you in rather high regard.

I am, in part, a product of my environment. I am also critically reflective though and still hold that my views on such matters as intellectual property, are grounded in sound logic and understanding. Were a flaw in my reasoning to be pointed out, I would acknowledge and address it. Haven’t found a convincing or sound argument pro theft yet though…

So with this background I am going to start writing about topics I’ve shyed away from for too long – the tricky and intense topics associated with intellectual property rights, in the legal and ethical sense – in SL. Those posts will be spaced out because of the level of research I intend to put into them, there will be plenty of less confrontational and light-hearted posts in between, but I’m not going to shy away from sharing my thoughts on this vital topic anymore.