Intellectual Property Rights

The right to property is inextricably linked to human reasoning, and human beings inherently possess intelligence, defined as the capacity to reason. The right to possess is what makes an individual rational; that is, this right is indispensable in the development of the individual as a conscious, rational agent. Property, as it is understood in the Hegelian sense, is nothing more than the evolution of the intellect. Intellectual property (IP) is thus an oxymoron because property is the highest point of intelligence as epitomized in reason.

As many natural law theorists point out, the question is how a common good or public good available to all people freely in nature turns out to be someone’s private property. This question becomes even more complicated when we think ...