Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

That's ahistorical. The enclosure movement is seen by many as the origins of capitalism [1].

Private property is an enclosure. Intellectual property is an enclosure [2]. All of this is rent-seeking behaviour.

The story of Tetris is such a great example of all that capitalism actually does in practice: licensing and sub-licensing deals. The game was actually created by a few Russians. Everything else was just enclosures.

[1]: https://www.joewrote.com/p/the-origin-of-capitalism-the-encl...

[2]: https://www.marxist.com/intellectual-property-rights221105.h...



It sure is nice to have one's political opponents define words for oneself, hmm?


Private property sure, but intellectual property is not universal to all capitalist markets. And the protections vary and change. Even in American, often-times accused of strong IP protections, the protection is limited, as we're seeing here.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: