What makes something is yours, and truly yours, and no one could claim it as theirs? A certificate? A huge announcement? Some big achievement that makes one is known for the thing they created? Really, what makes something is yours and truly yours?

When we created an art, a piece of work, something in a solid visible form, we can absolutely tell it was ours. As long as we’re the first to do it so well and make others witness the birth of this creation. And anyone after that could be named a “copy cat”. 

But who would have been so sure that no one ever made something just identical with ours? Unless we can keep track of every single thing in the world and have all the list of all the thing people has created. 

And that’s the thing about intellectual property. Unless it is registered and certified as ours, we can’t really claim that something is ours. 

Let alone the fact that inspiration for creating such art or piece of writing came from anything, everything at any possible time. Who can tell that none of this can’t really exactly be quite similar to each other?

And all of this, is how I cope with the rage I have, since I read the book I bought back in Jakarta on my last vacation. The book that’s written by a famous name, with loyal readers, who would kill me if they could when they know I accuse their favorite writer as a copycat. 

No, of course I’m not accusing someone as a copycat. It’s just sometimes, my gut feeling is the one thing I should listen to when it keeps on whispering to my brain that the book I recently read is a copy of my work.

Oh believe me when I say that I tried so hard not to think this way about someone’s hard work. But when I found specific metaphors and sentences in one of the chapter, or the exact premise, or how every chapter started, also believe me when I say I could cry out of unleashed rage. 

Yes, it was so naive and bold of me to think that a popular name with such fame could copy my work. But if my work was published 3 years ago with the original script was written 6-7 years ago and this very book that cause me some insecurities just released a couple months ago, no one could tell me that there is zero chance that this writer never read my book and got inspired to at least, try to use my trick on playing the words to deliver their story. 

Oh I know my work is way better. I just got unlucky because in this world, especially in my home country, people only care about name and fame. When you have such an amazing piece of art and you’re no one, no one would really care about your work. Unless you’re some famous name with mountains of money to support your art, then people would notice you. 

And that’s the thing that cuts me open wider as I swim deeper to the fact that when someone without the name did something, no one really appreciated their work, but when someone with popular existences did it, they said it was such an amazing work. 

If that’s the case, what’s the point of rights being registered and certificated? What’s the point of ones claiming their own work as theirs? 

Oh wait, there is a point. 

It differentiates us. You name the differences!

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