Happy World Intellectual Property Day

Let’s look at the case of Madonna and Tupac (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/19/madonna-halts-tupac-breakup-letter-auction-whitney-sharon-stone).

Personal letters are at stake and the questions  the courts seem to concentrate on was property, merely property.  Who owns the letters and what they can do with them. However, the content of the letters are more of major concern.  First, the information is personal, private, intimate not for public consumption. But, probing minds always deem public figures as fair game to expose most any details of their personal lives. And, to make matters worse, fame (infamy) seems to be dependent not on the most honorable actions made by famous people, but more on their worse sides.  Some very famous public figures live on the fact their fame is dependent on how awful the decisions or actions they make are made public.  But the second fact is, the letters could be protected under copyright and the author has considerable rights to keep them under wraps – currently up to 70 years after the author’s demise.  Empowering Intellectual Property by having a special day to celebrate should encourage us all to consider not only intellectual property but also privacy, moral rights and dignity. Tupac Shakur died tragically, respect the deceased. Madonna is a super stellar singer, actress and accomplished artist, respect the living.