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I agree that copyright should exist (in some form), and creators should get paid. What I don't see is <how>? When every computer is a digital mass production factory, how do you control what is produced? This is a serious question, and not a call for abolution of the copyright system. From my viewpoint, I don't see any way to provide that control short of Draconian measures. Big Brother spyware on every computer? No ability to permanently write data? Take away all the PCs? Encryption has not done the trick. Even if it did the trick, there is still the analog hole. (Stop all analog to digital converters?)
I'm not trying to sound silly. I'm just flat out stumped. And I haven't heard any other idea that (to me) might seem to work (and believe me, I've listened to lots). That's what I've been trying to say. If you have a better idea, let me know. But unless somebody has that better idea, I don't see how copyright will survive in a practical sense, even if it remains on the legal books. (If you sued eveybody who violates copyright today, the entire court system would collapse from the overload.) The only thing I've been able to come up with is to run a ding joint (Ask for a donation in every book). Many creators find the idea offensive. Perhaps the EU committee will have that better idea, but I'm not optimistic.
Remember, in the digital world the buyer owns the factory, not the creator, not a middleman (capitalist).
You are quite correct that design and production have been separated in the digital world. The rules of scarcity apply to the design end, but they do not apply to the production end. And that mismatch is the core problem. Look at Project Gutenberg. It is a ding joint for its operating costs, and depends on free labor (to which I have contributed) and free (expired copyright) designs. Look at the number of downloads (free) over the years.
People are not standing in line or doing without to get these downloads (take all you want - electrons are almost free). Or the mobilread ebook library. How do you graft a cost structure on it for the cost of new works (designs). Sorry, I don't know. (and I wish I did).
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