However, keeping the rules straight as to who owns what has made lawyers,
judges and accountants busy and wealthy for generations. Corporate espionage,
plagiarism, bad memory and outright theft have made all this extremely
complicated. Copying a term paper at the last minute to get a decent grade, ripping
your partner off for a good idea, presenting someone else’s story as yours, are
crimes and just plain bad manners.
We have all taped a song off the radio for a mix tape that is played at a public event,
xeroxed a chapter of a textbook