In the movie Minority Report, the theme of intellectual property is called upon multiple times. In Ethics of the Information Age by Michael Quinn, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization, intellectual property "refers to creations of the mind: inventions; literary and artistic works; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. Precrime as a whole, the precogs, and their visions are all intellectual properties used by those who own and control them, and how they are used and viewed by society is displayed throughout the movie, and helps reflect on our own reality and our own perceptions of technological property.
The precrime foundation as a whole is ran by Lamar Burgess, but its fruition was enabled by Dr Iris Hineman, who discovered the powerful abilities within the children she observed. While she had Lamar Burgess help with providing the children to her, it was ultimately her invention of the precrime technology that led to precrimes foundation, but her work was misused by Burgess, who abused the Precogs power by using their visions to stop all crime, but kept them in inhumane conditions, and threw away “minority reports”, different interpretations of the collective visions the precogs would have. Burgess prioritized the systems success and his legacy over the ethical implications of using the precogs. His actions also show how intellectual property can be manipulated when control shifts from its creator to another third part. It helps demonstrate the struggle of intentions between an intellectual property’s creator and its actual use.
John Andertons and Lamar Burgess roles in overseeing the PreCrime police department also shows how ones control and use of an intellectual property can be both an asset and a liability. Anderton wields a significant amount of power, but is able to deviate successfully when he learns he is accused of murder by the precogs. However, this was orchestrated by Lamar Burgess, and highlights how one who has control of an intellectual property holds massive amounts of power over those who don’t, and can abuse that power for their own gain if they wanted to.
The publics trust in precrime is another pivotal aspect of intellectual property, since it is vital for any intellectual property to be viewed in a positive light in order for it to be bought, sold, and used. The public is misinformed about the precogs conditions, and are told lies about their living conditions and lifestyles. They are made to seem like they live normal lives, but in reality, are subjected to unethical use by the precrime division. This aspect of intellectual property shows how its owners and users can manipulate the public into believing that their property was made ethically and under strict moral guidelines, when in reality, it was not