I’m grateful for the spirited discussion on this point, but I’m still figuring out how to set the right tone for comments on the site. I’d like to declare this line of discussion closed, and I don’t plan to approve any further comments on the property v. monopoly topic. It’s a great topic and I think it warrants its own treatment in a better forum. Thanks, Eric.

Property rights are a legal relationship between you and something. There is no problem with property right in inventions, songs, paintings. You obtain property rights because you created something. It is the law recognizing the metaphysical fact that but for the creator, the thing would not exist.

if they are a property, then you have additional conflicts – intangible things by definition are not compatibility with property rights – they are explicitly opposite.

A property right is not a monopoly, except in Alice in Wonderland. The idea that patents are monopolies fails, definitionally, logically, and empirically. For more information see

Patents: Monopoly or Property Right a Testable Hypothesis http://hallingblog.com/patents-monopoly-or-property-right-a-testable-hypothesis/

If
patents are a monopoly, as some suggest, then it should led to certain
outcomes. A close examination shows that
none of the supposed monopoly effects result from granting patents.

Monopoly/Rent Seeking vs. Property Rights/Intellectual
Property http://hallingblog.com/monopolyrent-seeking-vs-property-rightsintellectual-property/.

This
post explains the characteristics of a monopoly and a property right and poses
three questions to show the difference.
Patents fit all the characteristics of a property right and none of a
monopoly. Note that professional
license, such as a law license has some of the characteristics of a
monopoly.

More on the Myth that Patents are Monopolies http://hallingblog.com/more-on-the-myth-that-patents-are-monopolies/.

This
post contains a number of quotes from philosophers explaining that patents are
not monopolies.

Property Rights, Possession and Objects http://hallingblog.com/property-rights-possession-and-objects/

This
post explains the difference in the concepts of property rights, possession,
and objects. Most economists and patent
detractors confuse these concepts. The
origin, definition, and legal basis of property right are explained.

The Myth That Patents are a Monopoly http://hallingblog.com/the-myth-that-patents-are-a-monopoly/

This
post compares the definition of a monopoly to the rights obtained with a
patent. It shows that the rights
obtained with a patent do not confer a monopoly.

while patents are a property right, they do technically provide a monopoly.