Mine, Mine, Mine!
As toddlers, most of us had a clear understanding of ownership and we tested the breadth of our personal wealth by declaring, “Mine!” It was a fairly simple concept: My stuff was my stuff, your stuff was your stuff, and stuff that belonged to both of us was both mine and yours. We ‘got’ it.
Until we wanted something that wasn’t ours:
“Toddler Rules:
- If it’s mine, it’s mine
- If it’s yours, it’s mine
- If I see it, it’s mine
- If I want it, it’s mine
seen on a T-shirt
By the time we got to Kindergarten, most of us were able to show that we understood ownership as we practiced keeping our hands and feet to ourselves and asking permission before we touched something that was not ours.
Sadly, by adulthood, those important Kindergarten lessons have become so stretched and twisted that many have given up on personal responsibility and reverted to “mine, mine mine.”
Intellectual property has no “finders keepers” rule.
My ideas, my inventions, my words, my lyrics, my melodies, my art, my photograph, – every bit that I render – belongs to me. I may choose to sell it, share it, or gift it.
You might even ask to use my work.
It is my right to agree or refuse.
It is your responsibility, as a human being, to respect my choice.
