The concept of Intellectual Property allows a person to 'own' a piece of information. But how far does the definition of 'a piece of information' go? Surely the process for creating a specific soda product falls into this category, for this is exactly what Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola do. This is a 'recipe' for a product if you will. While the basic ingredients it is comprised of are known to the public, the specific combinations of those ingredients, and in what form is a closely guarded secret. So what about the 'recipe' for a piece of software? Any programmer can tell you the constructs needed to build a piece of software, but the specific combination is the secret. But how complex must a 'recipe' be before it can be considered Intellectual Property? Bisquick is simply a common combination of certain ingredients that can then be used in other, more complex, final products (pancakes, biscuits, waffles, coffee cake...). So it is a component of a larger final product. At what point must we deny ownership of a combination of basic ingredients? Is it 3 ingredients, 4, 5, 10, 20? The complexity, or number of ingredients, needed to secure a patent or copyright has been steadily, and dangerously decreasing. Assuming that patent and copyright laws were created to spur innovation and creativity, their purpose will be perverted when such a basic level of combinations is allowed to be patented that no one can create a new final product, because it will infringe upon the copyrights of the many components it must necessarily be built out of. The system needs reform. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that the problem will only get worse until an answer is found.

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