That would be No: Is the Non-rivalrousness of Intellectual Objects a Problem for the Moral Justification of Economic Rights to Intellectual Property?

Sci Eng Ethics. 2014 Jul 5. [Epub ahead of print]

Is the Non-rivalrousness of Intellectual Objects a Problem for the Moral Justification of Economic Rights to Intellectual Property?

Varelius J.

Author information

• Department of Behavioural Sciences and Philosophy, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland, varelius@hotmail.com.

Abstract

It is often argued that the fact that intellectual objects-objects like ideas, inventions, concepts, and melodies-can be used by several people simultaneously makes intellectual property rights impossible or particularly difficult to morally justify. In this article, I assess the line of criticism of intellectual ownership in connection with a central category of intellectual property rights, economic rights to intellectual property. I maintain that it is unconvincing.