Patent and copyright legislation was originally intended to make ideas available. But recent thinking on intellectual property rights has done the opposite, and created a situation where creators feel trapped, consumers deprived and distributors creating artificial scarcity.

A proper theology of humanity suggests that we should not treat ideas as property to be owned and sold. Such a theology leads to a radical reappraisal of current practice, to the benefit of all concerned, with significant ethical implications.

Stewart Clark is the manager of a hospital laboratory in New Zealand.  Mark Howe is a programmer based in France. He is completing a theology DMin with the working title of ‘Sacred virtual space.’ Stewart and Mark’s shared concerns about copyright law stem from their experiences as founding leaders of St Pixels. They are both long-time users of open-source software, and Mark runs a small open-source project called Xcruciate.