Publicness and Private Intellectual Property in Kant’s Political Thought

Publicness is an essential feature of Kant's idea of republic, because it substantiates his political thesis that only representative democracies can avoid war. If this is the case, the question of copyright cannot be viewed as a marginal interest of Kant, because it affects the public use of reason. An accurate reading of "Von der Unrechtmäßigkeit des Büchernachdrucks" shows two major points: - Kant does not endorse the thesis that ideas can be privately owned (only physical things can be owned, and their purchasers, as legitimate owners, are free to copy them and even to sell their reproductions). - Kant's justification of copyright is limited to his contemporary “state of the art” commercial printing. If we presuppose a different media technology that makes it possible a direct communication between authors and the public, Kant's principles can shape a fairly open view of copyright.