How does one differentiate? Say I spend some time looking at GPL code, learning the lessons presented, then writing my own code using what I’ve learned. Is this OK if I am working on non-GPL software? Is the answer different if an algorithm does the same thing?
Yes, because an algorithm isn't a person, and necessarily got to where it got to through what the law clearly defines as "copying," whereas what the human does is expressly not "copying."
Again, always good to remember the thing in the background: This is not a philosophical debate, it's a legal one. Intellectual property, for better or worse, is a made-up concept by humans to try to encourage more creation.
Intellectual Property is marketed as encouragement for more creation. At this point, its primary purpose is rent-seeking, like most old institutions, I guess.
I agree with you, but as long as megacorps are abusing it to protect their pseudo-monopolies, they should be held up to their own standards. Look at how pissy they get when people reverse-engineer their proprietary systems and then implement unofficial replacements.
