Copyright is dead

For those of us over the age of 40, let me tell you the concept of copyright is dead.  I believe most people under 40 know this.  Those under 30, consciously or unconsciously, take for granted that they can get a copy of anything that can be digitized without paying for it.  The government, many commercial enterprises, and many individuals that rely on copyright to make profit or earn a living are slowly coming to the realization that copyright is no longer enforceable.   In the Internet age it is simply too easy to make perfect copies of anything that can be digitized.  It is also easy to post it on the web.  Once on the web it is thoroughly out of the control of the copyright holder.  It is impossible to know how may times a work has been copied and by who and to where.

For what its worth, I like the concept of copyright.  I think people should be able to make money from their works.  I don't make illegal copies of copyrighted information or encourage anyone else to.  I merely acknowledge the writing on the wall.  Eventually governments around the world will have to accept their inability to enforce copyright and it will become a quaint relic of the past.  The Internet will, again, prove to be an ungovernable, lawless, place.   Given the choice between an ungoverned Internet and a highly censored and controlled Internet most people will choose the former.   This will provide enough space for copyright piracy to flourish beyond government control.

Of course the end of copyright will have enormous economic consequences but eventually the world will adjust and will move on.  Brave New World.