Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk spark debate over IP law
Key Takeaways
- Jack Dorsey initiated a controversy by suggesting the removal of IP law.
- The debate highlights the growing tension between decentralization advocates and traditional legal frameworks.
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Jack Dorsey wants to scrap IP laws entirely. Elon Musk backs the idea, but not everyone vibes with it.
The co-founder of Block and Twitter, now rebranded as X, said in a Friday statement that all forms of intellectual property law, such as copyright or patents, should be abolished.
delete all IP law
— jack (@jack) April 11, 2025
The statement quickly stirred discussion across X, as users weighed in on the role of IP laws in the digital era and how removing them could affect creativity and innovation.
Many, including Musk and Bitcoin maximalist Max Keiser, have shown support for the idea. They argue that intellectual property laws stifle innovation and creativity.
💯
IP law is effectively a global lobotomy of our collective unconscious.
Everything (all ideas) come from our joint consciousness and should return there unencumbered by corporate interests ASAP. https://t.co/OtY1voImUk
— Max Keiser (@maxkeiser) April 12, 2025
Some have pointed out that current IP laws are outdated and poorly suited to the digital age, often creating artificial scarcity and enabling monopolistic control.
Chris I think it’s worth understanding there’s a genuine free market case against IP. IP is actually a state granted monopoly that impinges on what I believe should be genuine individual or business freedom to build, to innovate.
For example see Against Intellectual Monopoly…
— Stephan Livera (@stephanlivera) April 12, 2025
Agreed. Burn the entire regime.
The moment you do, innovation will explode like never before. Culture will accelerate. Technology will evolve in real time. Ideas will stop being hostage to legal fiefdoms and start flowing like code in open source.
IP law doesn’t protect…
— FRΞΞ PRINCΞ (@tyrannideris) April 11, 2025
However, numerous tech leaders and creators found Dorsey’s statement disturbing. Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of Rumble, which has recently joined the corporate Bitcoin reserve race, strongly disapproved of Dorsey’s idea.
No!@jack and big tech want to push this garbage so they can get all your data and content for free.
They hate IP law because they can’t steal it for AI.
This must not be allowed. https://t.co/t1L1bD4kud
— Chris Pavlovski 🏴☠️ (@chrispavlovski) April 11, 2025
Pavlovski argued that without IP protection, big tech companies could freely use copyrighted material to train their AI models without permission from or compensation to the creators.
This is a horrible take.
Creators IP must be protected.
Big tech wants to steal content for AI purposes.
Creators put huge effort and make livings off their works, and you just proposed to destroy that world.
— Chris Pavlovski 🏴☠️ (@chrispavlovski) April 11, 2025
Story protocol’s co-founder Jason Zhao posted a screenshot of Block’s patents in response to Dorsey’s call to delete IP laws.
https://t.co/B54u3QuvVY pic.twitter.com/kuvd7SpqS7
— jasonzhao.ip (@jasonjzhao) April 11, 2025
According to Carol Roth, New York Times bestselling author of ‘You Will Own Nothing,’ IP laws are fundamentally essential for protecting creators’ rights.
Property rights are natural rights, and intellectual property is as much property as something physical.
Nobody else should be able to copy my books and profit from them.
Nobody else should be able to take a brand name or logo and put it on clothing.
And so on. https://t.co/o5EftrOl1z
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) April 12, 2025
While recognizing the benefit of patents for inventors, Manna Bitcoin Wallet founder Adam Simecka said that the current IP system is often “abused by corporations.” Still, he believes completely eliminating IP laws might not be the solution.
Patents allow people in this country with good ideas that don’t have a lot of money to be able to invest in their invention with the hope of making a profit before a massive corporation can steal it.
IP law is abused by the corporations. Getting rid of it might not be the answer
— Adam Simecka (@AdamSimecka) April 12, 2025
Musk previously stated that patents are “for the weak,” though the tech mogul has used patents to protect certain innovations.
In June 2014, Musk released Tesla’s patents. The company has chosen not to initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use Tesla’s technology.
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