A property in rights
07. 11, 07 16:37 Filed in: law
A property in rights
James Madison is considered one of the greatest political thinkers of his time and the father of US Copyright. He articulated a simple, yet novel idea – first published in The National Gazette in 1792, which is carved on the walls of the Copyright Office.
“As a man is said to have a right to his property; he may be equally said to have a property in his rights”
What does this mean?
Just as a person has the right to buy and sell tangible property, will it to his heirs, earn a living from it, and even let it fall into decay, he has the same rights for intangible property, such as copyright. - - MJD