Came across the following quote by Ayn Rand and found it very interesting and relevant to this thread.. it is by far the best argument I've ever heard about intellectual property rights.
"5.2.2 Copyrights and Patents (Intellectual Property)
Rand supported the existence of patents and copyrights, sometimes referred to more generally as "intellectual property," similar to the ones that exist under US law today (which is not to claim that she would necessarily agree with every aspect of current US law on these subjects). In an article on the subject, she wrote:
The government does not "grant" a patent or copyright, in the sense of a gift, privilege, or favor; the government merely secures it -- i.e., the government certifies the origination of an idea and protects its owner's exclusive right of use and disposal. A man is not forced to apply for a patent or copyright; he may give his idea away, if he so chooses; but if he wishes to exercise his property right, the government will protect it, as it protects all other rights. ... The patent or copyright notice on a physical object represents a public statement of the conditions on which the inventor or author is willing to sell his product: for the purchaser's use, but not for commercial reproduction.[*]
While approving of the general idea of patents and copyrights, Rand was very critical of the contemporary handling of them by the government, calling the US patent system in the 1960s "a nightmare." It is not known what she thought (or would have thought) about more recent modifications of patent and copyright law."