Let's imagine a world where copyright is SERIOUSLY respected.
Take music, for example.
All genres spring from one or two artists
adapted and embellished freely (over time) by other artists.
Now, imagine anyone aspiring to be a rap artist has to pay money to the copyright owner who originally came up with that concept if they want to record a record or perform. Now if everyone had to pay money to Cab Calloway's heirs (arguably it's instigator - but for argument's sake, let's say that he owned the copyright), how many rap bands would there be today?
Musicians themselves are probably the MOST guilty of 'theft'. Most of them talk about their 'influences' (meaning that they are incoroporating other people's ideas into their music without permission) and adapting (same thing) that work into their own.
This sort of intellectual 'theft' has been going on for so long that many musicians believe that its ok to
steal share other's ideas as long as no-one does it to them. Madonna is a good case in point. She has lashed out viciously at file-downloaders in the past but had little to say when others complain about her activities (The
theft incorporation of
Bourdin's visual copyright in her music video being a case in point).
Face it - if copyright was STRINGENTLY adhered to by musicians themselves, there wouldn't be a music industry because struggling artists would never be able to pay all the royalties due to those that came before them.
[ 02-06-2004, 03:56 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]