Eliminate Profit from Ownership

Eliminate Profit from Ownership
Mar 2015 card project changed title to "No Profit from Ownership"

Eliminating profit from mere ownership of things that originated from our common wealth – such as the electromagnetic spectrum, plant medicines, and patents — can encourage cultural creations by freeing cultural “raw materials.” This does not preclude appropriate profit from the value one has added to the commons.

Instead of increasing polarization of wealth as those who already own title to things like land and airwaves earn profits without producing anything or contributing to society.

Earlier version: “Polarization of wealth is inevitable when people are allowed to profit from merely owning a thing, without producing anything or contributing to society.” Holders of land, electromagnetic spectrum, mineral rights, patents, etc., today profit from merely owning the natural world that predated us all and the intellectual wealth that was created out of shared culture. Eliminating profit from mere ownership will foster equitable distribution of wealth and encourage cultural creations by freeing cultural “raw materials.”

This does not preclude appropriate profit from the value one has added to the commons. Patents and copyrights, for example, could mandate decreasing rate of "rental" over a decade and then become public domain.

Instead of: Whatever the design solution is not.'' [to fit well on a card, text must be no more than 30 words. Please do not make any edits to existing cards that make this section longer than that.]''

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