I haven't logged in for quite a while but my radar must have subconsciously picked this topic up. Tangible and scarce may not be the best words to use to discuss the topic with. fits the description better. I am pro-private property but the main reason I can't come to terms with calling IP property is that it is non-rivalrous. IP is [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-rival_good]anti-rival. Copyright is a limited-time monopoly right created to make artificial scarcity, hopefully to give someone sufficient time to make a little bit of money before the copyright runs out to encourage creating works.

Copyright is anti-rival. What I'm getting at is that the tragedy of the commons doesn't occur with copying. Actually, the opposite happens with copying, inverse commons. If I plant and care for a fruit tree in the commons and someone else comes along and picks the fruit, I'm deprived of that fruit. All my work was for naught and there is nothing to be done for it. If I manage to purchase my own private property, now the fruit tree is mine and taking the fruit without my permission is theft.

If I formulate an idea and the idea spreads to other people, the spread of the idea does not deprive me of using that idea. If I recorded a song, I can still use that song as often as I like no matter how many people copy it (using their own property.)

Basically what I've reasoned copyright to be is similar to this: A person plants a fruit tree on his property. Fine, no one else is depriving him of his fruit tree. Except that person wanted to plant that fruit tree to sell apples and he thinks too many other people are planting their own fruit trees that are similar to his (some of them are even giving apples to their family and neighbors!) They have their own apples and aren't interested in purchasing his unless he does something to make his apples better, like make apple pie. Copyright in this case would be forbidding other people from planting their own fruit trees using their own property. Copying is not theft in any sense of the word.

Edit: Edited in a link to inverse commons