Why is the public domain (in terms of intellectual property) useful?

  • Kelly@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    If you call yourself the Burger King in your kitchen, there’s no trademark infringement there. However, if you start selling you food and calling yourself the Burger King, then that is a trademark violation. If you want to write Twilight fan fiction using the characters and story lines from the books, you’re free to do so. There is no copyright violation. However, if you want to profit from your expansions to another author’s work, you have to rename the characters and setting and call it “Fifty shades of grey”.

    I believe in must jurisdictions its the distribution that makes it an issue not the selling. If you started handing out your “Burger King” burgers in a public place I would expect to be shut down.