The intellectual property revolution (6)

“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.”

― John F. Kennedy

After identifying the causes of the bottlenecks that hinder creative investment, we will examine the ongoing reform and describe the expected impacts.

Chapter 1: Causes

Since its inception, human beings have not ceased to progress thanks to the widening of the scope of their knowledge. Both in terms of representation of the world, as well as techniques and organization, this enlargement is the product of a single source: creation. Very recent, awareness of the role of creators is still incomplete.

In the beginning, human beings live by hunting and gathering. The tools are rudimentary. According to the most recent findings, fire began to be brought under control almost a million years ago. The bow and arrows is believed to date from 20,000 years ago.

With the settlement, communities and trade densify. At the same time, creations and production capacities grow. Exchanges develop. The numbers are created and people begin to calculate. The writing appears soon after.

The Code of Hammurabi (1750 BC), several copies of which have been found, governs property ownership. At that time, nature appears as the main source of wealth.

The importance of labor is not ignored. Creator of the concept of economy, Xenophon underlines the importance of ethical principle in the good management of agricultural areas. “A value is a good. — Land is therefore no longer a value when the one who shapes it loses in shaping it “. Roman law built a significant ownership to ensure the maintenance and transmission of property.

Until the 15th century, technical progress is very slow. Religion considers knowledge as immutable data. The universe is considered a stationary world.

With printing, storage capacity, dissemination and exchange of knowledge increases significantly. This creation allows to capitalize and better share the wealth. More people have access to the ability of knowing and acting upon their environment.

The economists-physiocrats see in wealth a free gift of nature. In the 15th century, ideas evolve; it is not only in the organization of hard labor that economists see the origin of the wealth of nations. Water and windmills increase the productivity of the human factor. As it accelerates, technical progress becomes more visible.

Governing bodies discover the importance of the role of machines and natural energies. The Republic of Venice passes the first patent law in 1574. England follows. Pro-competitive laws are adopted to encourage the private initiative. The use of fossil fuels then develops with increasingly sophisticated machines. With various machines created since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the power of human labor has multiplied by a factor of 200.

The advent of digital signals the arrival of a new era in which storage and distribution capacities have taken a tremendous leap forward. All human beings have the means to express their imagination. 5 billion people can connect to the Internet. Virtually all people have access to the recording and dissemination of creations.

This change is very recent. Institutional structures did not follow. The creative abilities of individuals remain constrained for political, economic and social reasons. In the global and digital world where we are, intellectual property must not remain fragmented into a multitude of national rights. Hence the need for the ongoing reform.

Table of Contents

The Sovereign Title

• Introduction 1
  Introduction 2
  Introduction 3
  Introduction 4
  Introduction 5
  The intellectual property revolution : Chapter 1

(Cf) Creafree 2021