An Essay on Intellectual Property

Intellectual property is the ownership of some intangible creations. It was first introduced in the 19th century by a French theorist and started to be widely used after it became an organization of the United Nations “World Intellectual Property Organization” in 1960. This concept of intellectual property is hardly respected in some countries because it is always easier to copy than to pay money for the original. However, there are social, economic and religious reasons that encourage people to respect these properties.

Respecting intellectual property encourages the society to produce and invent more. This concept of intellectual property is used to give credit to creations of mind and to give the owners the freedom of using their creation the way they want. The feeling of being secured and insured that no one is going to use their invention without their permission motivates people to create. Society also benefits in the long term when intellectual property protection encourages creation and invention, especially when the period of protection expires and the creations and inventions enter the public domain.

Protecting intellectual property allows people and countries to rise financially. It gives the owners the right to invest their property in whatever way they want. This prevents others from investing and allows the right owners to commercialize their creativity. They can make money from their creation without the fear of being stolen. By respecting intellectual property in a country, people and companies of this country would become wealthier. Thus, there would be an economic growth in the whole country. The intellectual property system is also considered one of the bases of modern economic policy and a catalyst for development.

Islam respects both the private and the public ownership. It doesn’t sanction any violation against people’s rights, whether material or intellectual. Therefore, it does not allow the efforts of others to be taken away from them without their permission. Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him, said “A Muslim’s property is not permitted without his consent.” Academy of Islamic Fiqh issued a decision in 1405 A.H. that reserved rights of authorship and invention. In other words, all rights of such works are reserved by their owners.

Intellectual property should be respected for social, economic and religious reasons. By doing so, people would be encouraged and motivated to invent and invest their inventions without the fear of being stolen. Respecting intellectual property also allows countries to develop in different fields. Violating this property creates a sense of insecurity in the intellectual and slows down the process of invention.