re: #242 SixDegrees

Correct. The underlying thinking here is that, in return for a limited period of protection enforceable through the government, your works eventually revert ownership to society, which can then use them freely. As an additional benefit, at least in the case of patents, this encourages ongoing creativity, a desire to keep inventing new things that that qualify for the special legal protection - and the profitability it confers - offered by patents.

Okay, here’s another question. If I set the circuit breakers in a skyscraper to write out

L
O
V
E

in the New York City skyline, is that violating a patent? The breakers themselves may have a patented design, but am I allowed to use them however I wish? Or, is the patent holder allowed to tell me I’m not allowed to use the breakers to create letters in a building’s windows?

And how is that different from using non-MPAA-approved DVD player programs? After all, the programs are merely bits, or if you will, switches inside the computer, arranged to produce a certain side-effect.