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If IP Is Property, Where Is the Property Tax?

Posted by kdawson on from the making-the-world-safe-for-mickey dept.

nweaver writes "In a response to the LA Times editorial on copyright which we discussed a week ago, the paper published a response arguing: 'If Intellectual Property is actually property, why isn't it covered by a property tax?' If copyright maintenance involved paying a fee and registration, this would keep Mickey Mouse safely protected by copyright, while ensuring that works that are no longer economically relevant to the copyright holder pass into the public domain, where the residual social value can serve the real purpose of copyright: to enhance the progress of science and useful arts. Disclaimer: the author is my father."

3 of 691 comments (clear)

  1. this post... by ameline · · Score: 0, Redundant

    This first post is public domain and I therefore have no property taxes to pay on it

    --
    Ian Ameline
  2. are my thoughts taxable? by BlueshiftVFX · · Score: 0, Redundant

    can the American public be forced to stop thinking due to the penalty of being taxed for it? my thoughts are my Intelectual property aren't they? atleast until someone finds a way to read minds. I guess the only way to tell would be to scan thoughts in which they would then be public thoughts and then public domain therefore not taxable. would childrens thoughts under the age of thirteen be non-taxable? I should stop thinking, I think I hear the IRS coming.

  3. Re:Wow... by Beer_Smurf · · Score: 0, Redundant

    That's fine but your taxable value is also now "one hundred billion trillion zomg bbq dollars".