Da Vinci Copyright: sense prevails

08 Apr 2006

“It would be quite wrong if fictional writers were to have their writings pored over in the way DVC ( ‘Da Vinci Code’) has been pored over in this case by authors of pretend historical books to make an allegation of infringement of copyright,” Judge Peter Smith said in his 71-page ruling.

“Cases like this hopefully will clarify what copyright is all about,” said Allan Adler, vice president for legal and government affairs at the Association of American Publishers.

“Copyright doesn’t protect ideas and copyright doesn’t protect facts. That’s why we have genres, fiction and nonfiction, and a number of people can write novels based on the same idea and still have freedom of expression.”

– Associated Press

There is no ownership of ideas. Common sense calls for attribution (which DVC gave anyway!), but an idea is ephemeral in the mind of one person alone: growth beyond that is required for it to survive. If ideas are of value (one presumes that they are), any notion of exclusivity is ludicrous and devaluing.

I am not, therefore, an irrational communist in this regard. I acknowledge value, but simply reject that same value is decreased by propagation/increase in supply/availability. Hence, I am an irrational capitalist.