John Locke Intellectual Labor
Because property yields from man’s labor, which is “owned,” labor is the core of the ownership of intellectual property. According to Locke’s justification of self-ownership, before an idea is conveyed, it belongs to the individual as a part of himself, thus it is his property. Intellectual property originates from an individual’s intellectual labor and takes form outside of one’s mind by the physical labor of one’s body. Therefore, proprietors rightfully own their products because it is they who produce it from both their intellectual and physical labor. From this, we can recognize that individuals who illegally attain ones’ products are making the rightful owners their slaves. There is a flaw with Locke’s account of ownership of ideas. Intellectual