Patents do not equal monopolies. Patents should be about novel things, and if something is truly novel, there is no market for it to begin with, let alone monopolized markets. Think about it.
let's start with taxing it. You mean like we do right now for that other intellectual property right, patents? You are aware that paying "renewal fees" (i.e. taxes) to keep them in force is exactly the situation for patents right now? Nevertheless, I recall hearing a few grumpy comments on the patent system here on slashdot not long ago.
I would say "piracy" is professional stealing, i.e. having a business of theft, including an organization of some sort to make this business possible.
Copyright infringement can be referred to as theft, because you feel shafted in much the same way if somebody steals your "intellectual property" as when someone steals your "tangible property".
However, some folks prefer not to use the term "intellectual property", because they feel "ideas cannot be owned". If you refuse to accept the concept of "intellectual property", then there can be no theft of it and it's pointless to refer to professional copyright-infringers as pirates.
By the way, this dogma "there is no such thing as intellectual property" is very similar to the believes of die-hard socialists with respect to "tangible property" (they felt all "production means" belonged to the State, which boils down to the same idea: no individual property).
It is no coincidence that former-socialist countries like Russia and China have the biggest difficulty in grasping the concept of (other's) intellectual property rights.
Slashdot Mirror
Just make them an offer, they will comply if your offer is reasonable. Nobody "respectable" wants to infringe on IPRs willingly.
Patents do not equal monopolies. Patents should be about novel things, and if something is truly novel, there is no market for it to begin with, let alone monopolized markets. Think about it.
I would say "piracy" is professional stealing, i.e. having a business of theft, including an organization of some sort to make this business possible.
Copyright infringement can be referred to as theft, because you feel shafted in much the same way if somebody steals your "intellectual property" as when someone steals your "tangible property".
However, some folks prefer not to use the term "intellectual property", because they feel "ideas cannot be owned". If you refuse to accept the concept of "intellectual property", then there can be no theft of it and it's pointless to refer to professional copyright-infringers as pirates.
By the way, this dogma "there is no such thing as intellectual property" is very similar to the believes of die-hard socialists with respect to "tangible property" (they felt all "production means" belonged to the State, which boils down to the same idea: no individual property). It is no coincidence that former-socialist countries like Russia and China have the biggest difficulty in grasping the concept of (other's) intellectual property rights.