I will take one point: the idea that by abolishing copyright you are taking progress out of the hands of monopolies. Copyright is the power that gives the 'little man' the ability to do that already. Copyright puts the power/value of an idea on a level playing field with the already-powerful and already-valuable.
Abolishing copyright would make the weak even weaker. The only proof one needs to see is that in the music business - where I come from - there has been a de facto absence of copyright protection for a decade now.
It hasn't done away with the 'monopolies' or large corporations.
It hasn't made artists any richer.
It has made it much more difficult for an artist to make money through sale of their primary product.
It has weakened artist positions to the point that they no longer only have to give up a lot of revenue on album sales - which was always they case; the new standard is the 360 deal that lets record and management companies tap into the entire income stream of an artist.
So, sorry, ten years in throwing copyright out has actually created the opposite effects that you predict.
> Copyright is the power that gives the 'little man' the ability to do that already.
I'm really sorry, but in what world do you live? Copyright is abused by the big corporations to secure monopolies, and isn't, wasn't and won't ever be meant for artists. It's the same argument as with patents, really. The myth that they serve to protect the poor, small man is a lie spread and maintained by exactly those who profit from them - the big corporations.
> The only proof one needs to see is that in the music business - where I come from - there has been a de facto absence of copyright protection for a decade now.
And what "music business" would that be? I only see copyright getting more draconian by the year.
> It has made it much more difficult for an artist to make money through sale of their primary product.
Well, maybe you should reconsider what your "primary product" is. A musician is a performer, first and foremost, and a concert is a service. There's also merchandise, which are tangible goods.
>album sales
Album sales have been dead for years now. Why are you trying to cling to a dead distribution/business model?
Abolishing copyright would make the weak even weaker. The only proof one needs to see is that in the music business - where I come from - there has been a de facto absence of copyright protection for a decade now.
It hasn't done away with the 'monopolies' or large corporations.
It hasn't made artists any richer.
It has made it much more difficult for an artist to make money through sale of their primary product.
It has weakened artist positions to the point that they no longer only have to give up a lot of revenue on album sales - which was always they case; the new standard is the 360 deal that lets record and management companies tap into the entire income stream of an artist.
So, sorry, ten years in throwing copyright out has actually created the opposite effects that you predict.