Copy-write?

When I began reading about the laws, the first thing I thought of was pharmaceutical companies. A friend of mine worked for a generic pharmaceutical company. At the time, a high profile drug was coming up to the end of its patent (11.7 years). First, the company filed a bunch of frivolous lawsuits to hold the patent for the drug. Then, they paid the generic company not to make the generic form. Finally, they reformatted the drug and patented the newer version of the drug. My question was, “How can they get away with that?” Well, they didn’t. They had to pay lawyers and heavy fines in order to try to protect their investment. It turns out that the profit from the drug was so enormous that the fines and lawyers were a drop in the bucket compared to what the drug was worth financially to the company.

At face value, laws are in place to protect the common folk otherwise only the rich would be able to afford medications such as the one discussed. But, to find that type of control over culture is creepy. Then, isn’t it a bit contradictory that the “American Dream” is based on the idea that if one works hard they will benefit from it. Yes, the drug company gained financially from their invention, but then the law dictates as to how long they can profit from it.

I find that the author gets lost in the mass production of their “product.” Mickey Mouse, Barbie, Harry Potter become the face of the author/inventor. The bigger the characters become, the less important the person behind them is. It is as if they disappear. I then have to ask, “Does the creativity disappear as well?” Does the profit of the creation take priority over the creativity and become a formula that the creator then becomes.

From the beginning, I felt that authorship and ownership went hand-in-hand. When a person invests time and energy doing something, whether it is art, writing, inventing, etc, they want to protect that investment. We protect our homes, vehicles, and even our bodies by purchasing insurance. Our culture has been conditioned that way.