Jefferson and information

["jesposito" <jesposito@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Regarding the recent posting of a URL which leads to a Web site that
purports to summarize Jefferson's view of intellectual property, it is
probably useful to say, for the umpteenth time, that ideas cannot be
copyrighted.  Copyright only reaches to the tangible expression of
ideas.  The notion that copyright interferes with the free flow of ideas
is a little bit like saying that seat belts interfere with the free flow
of traffic.  There is much that is bad about copyright law (current and
proposed), but preventing the free flow of ideas is not among them.

Joseph J. Esposito