I fucked with the title a bit. What i linked to was actually a mastodon post linking to an actual thing. but in my defense, i found it because cory doctorow boosted it, so, in a way, i am providing the original source here.
please argue. please do not remove.
is the image of a cabin in a snowy landscape copyrighted by Thomas kinkade? fuck no. That’s an idea. ideas can’t be copyrighted. a style isn’t a discreet work. it is an idea. it can’t be copyrighted. if I produce something in the style of Keats or Stephen King or Rowling, they can’t sue me for copyright unless I make a substantially infringing use of their work. The style isn’t sufficient, because the style can’t be copyrighted.