Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

The European Doctrine of Christian Discovery applied to all property including intellectual property that was "discovered" in the rest of the world.

Non-christian origins could not be recognized by western institutions until very recently. Generally the first European christian to relay existing information from the non-christian world was credited with invention or discovery.

In many cases, people still credited with discovery didn't fully understand the source material and failed at relaying it accurately.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: