RE: COPYRIGHT, PATENTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Good article.
A couple of points:
RE My thoughts and opinions are shaped and moulded through open source information that I access through different mediums
Does that mean you don't think an original thought is possible"
RE monsanto: Indy journo Jane Akre and her ex Steve Wilson had a contract with Fox news to do an investigative piece on Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH), a toxic monsanto product that is banned in much of the world. The resulting work wasn't complimentary to BGH, and monsanto prevailed on Fox to shut it down, or at least distort it.
Akre sued and won, just under a million (back then, that was a lot of money).
monsanto appealed - and won. The Florida State court ruled agaisnt Akre on a precedent setting technicality that news outlets weren't obliged to present truthful news; i.e., lying in newscasts is OK.
So if you wondered where fake news came from...
That is something that could be endlessly debated and a very good question! My personal opinion (which is also shaped by other opinions) is that all works and creations you see, hear, or write, are in some way at least partly borrowed, influenced, or inspired by works before it. Basically, almost everything is a re-mix. But, I'm not exactly hard nosed about this...I just think copyright laws are against the public interest, as they serve lawmakers and corporations at the core, a lot more than they protect the author, creator etc.