Article 17

[hefty_lefty]

I was reading the EU's charter of rights and came upon article 17 :


Article 17
Right to property



1. Everyone has the right to own, use, dispose of and bequeath his or her lawfully acquired
possessions. No one may be deprived of his or her possessions, except in the public interest and in
the cases and under the conditions provided for by law, subject to fair compensation being paid in good
time for their loss. The use of property may be regulated by law in so far as is necessary for the general
interest.
2. Intellectual property shall be protected.


What are these general and public interests they speak of?
And how is intellectual property protected?

Any ideas?

[ArrowLance]

Basically, as I read it, it is just a condition in place so the government (the bourgeoisie) can confiscate property if they think it is the public's interest (their interest).

[Pierson's]

it is enshrining the 'right' to accumulate shit loads of stuff, via inheritance.

it is enshrining the right to have control over your every idea ('intellectual property'), except, unless, someone else had that same idea before you.

basically, it is bullshit. i mean, what does intellectual property even mean? copyright? trademarks?

[Tatarin]

The use of property may be regulated by law in so far as is necessary for the general interest.

Rather than "what is" general interests, the question would be "whose" general interests? And I don't think it is the general interest of the city ghettoes.


2. Intellectual property shall be protected.

It is already protected "under law", although people do not always "respect" that law. In some countries they punish lawbreakers by monitoring a download, writing a cheque that they have monitored you download that media, and demand you pay about 1000% of the original cost.