Inovador por imitando a natureza

Whose Intellectual Property Can I Rip off Without Worry?: Dumb Question

Evolution has handed down to us in the form of plants and animals — for free! — more than 3 billion years of design and engineering research.
That's the theme throughout the work of Janine Benyus, a biologist whose 1997 book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, makes the argument that inventors, designers and engineers should scour the natural world for useful and adaptable innovations. The book led to the creation of her consultancy, Biomimicry 3.8, and a nonprofit that educates students and trains professionals to seek design solutions in nature.
Dumb Question: If nature is so great and terrific, how come it didn't develop intellectual property protections to prevent you from going in and ripping it off?
Janine Benyus: You know, I think if we begin, as a species, to mimic the most successful organisms, it's to all organisms' benefit. We're not going to fit in here unless we learn their 'patents' as quickly as possible and actually put them into use. These patents are not something you hide from each other. They're sort of best practices.
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