Intellectual property.

A weird notion. That a person/entity can own an idea, and can leave it to their children. In America, Sonny, of Sonny and Cher fame, tried to have copyright extended eternally. Disney would always own Mickey Mouse. Presumably somebody would own The Three Musketeers, The Merchant of Venice and... the Bible! Cooool. Churches would have to pay if they wanted to do public performances. If they could prove lineage, which is, unfortunately, about as likely as a man on the Sun next year. Could happen...

Could be interesting. All of those mathematical equations could suddenly become property. Every machine and computer programme that uses them would suddenly be liable to ransom. The D.N.A. maps could remain patented forever, scientists poised to pounce on the next mutation. I might have to pay Socrates's heirs every time I don't know something. The possibilities are limitless!

Yes, yes, I know patents and copyrights are not the same (although the term "patent" is becoming broader all of the time. Once upon a time, to be a patent you had to be a substantial technical innovation. Amazon are patenting or have patented the ability to infer from purchases). I was just having fun. I doubt think eternal copyright is really on the cards. Patents only last seventeen years, and involve publishing the intimate details of your innovation.

Intellectual property is supposed to encourage and protect innovation and creativity, finitely. That's it's upside. Monopoly on an innovation or idea can hinder it's progress and diffusion. That's it's downside. It's a balancing act.