If copyright is dead, will people still make cool stuff?
Why do we do anything anyway? Is this just a question of reward –(copyright being a means to better secure potential rewards)?
Reasons I would do something:
- Intrinsic satisfaction.
- Tangible rewards like money or social acceptance.
- External compulsion, like the law.
When I create something, I would like to think any rewards derived from it will be due me. Copyright is a legal mechanism to protect my creations. It does not in and of itself, however, prevent people from doing the wrong thing.
Having the legal right to something is also quite different from having the resources and inclination to defend that right.
Would I do something purely because of the existence or non-existence of copyright? It depends on how much I really want to do it.
If the intrinsic rewards outweigh the potential monetary rewards, I’ll likely do it regardless. If the monetary reward is the more primary driver, I may think twice.
It does seem to come down to the reason behind doing something doesn’t it?
Interesting article on the relative nature of perceiving copyright on The Register recently: "Privacy and copyright are two things nobody cares about unless it's their own privacy, and their own copyright."
