Introduction
The concept of intellectual property has existed for several centuries. In essence, it protects the right of a creator to label their effort in the creation of content. However, it also raises numerous issues, including the source of ideas, plagiarism, and conflicts between authors. Much of valuable information is restricted by IP, which hinges on creativity and quality. With all restrictions and obstacles considered, abolishing intellectual property has the potential to make the world a better place.
Quality Improvement
The world without the obligatory attribution of human creations to separate individuals would encourage more quality content. Access to most of the modern knowledge is limited, which implies the inability of many people to familiarize themselves with the necessary material. For instance, the majority of scientific databases are closed, which compels students to work with indirect sources or include a costly subscription into their budget. As a result, their writing suffers because preliminary research is not valid. The removal of information protection would eliminate this issue as everyone would be able to reference their knowledge.
Another way the lack of IP could improve the quality is via competitiveness. According to Von Gunten, opponents of abolishing intellectual property fear that the collective responsibility for creativity would devalue the creator’s efforts (26). However, the equal footing of all authors on the market will most likely create a higher demand for innovation. The creator “would face competition and therefore probably less profit and higher pressure to innovate constantly” (Von Gunten, 34). The solution for the realization of such business environment would imply that writers will not be paid for the number of sold copies. Instead, their income will be based on the number of books they will write. As a consequence, more value will be attributed to novelty and original approaches to the existing knowledge, than the repetition of the already known concepts.
Releasing Authorship Tension
Amending laws on intellectual property would resolve much disputes concerning authorship. An entire law framework is set up that regulates the relations between authors, publishers, and consumers. It is challenging to pinpoint a specific creator of an idea since they all fall under someone’s influence. Many writers and scientists are accused of plagiarism, which constitutes the source of tension among IP owners. Recognizing on a regulatory level that no person can create content without collective input will effectively render such disputes obsolete.
As artificial intelligence gains prominence, it becomes apparent that at some point, it will be able to create content on its own. Abott argues that some AI programs are already capable of “computational creativity”, meaning machines’ ability to generate ideas without human participation (1089). Current laws require that the creator should be stated openly. However, Abbott prognoses significant confusion to whom the ideas should be attributed – to computers or programmers (1116). Once again, this potential future dilemma can be resolved by discarding the concept of intellectual property.
Conclusion
Overall, intellectual property has created numerous obstacles to creativity and tension among authors. Abolishing IP would make digital archives accessible to everyone who wishes to educate oneself, implying higher quality of the final papers. Moreover, if all writing is created equal, authors will be more incentivized to innovate. Another way the refusal to reinforce intellectual property could help society is by mitigating the conflict of authorship. Besides, such collisions will become inevitable with the advent of artificial intelligence that is capable of creativity. Not only can IP abolition can prevent these disagreements from occurring, but it can also improve life by welcoming more qualitative effort of creators.
Works Cited
Abbott, Ryan. “I Think, Therefore I Invent: Creative Computers and the Future of Patent Law.” Boston College Law Review, vol. 57, no. 4, 2016, pp. 1079-1126.
Von Gunten, Andreas. Intellectual Property is Common Property. Buch & Netz, 2015.