Quote:
Originally Posted by QuantumIguana
Books do NOT belong to the copyright holder. You might wish them to, but they do not. What the copyright holder owns is a limted time governmentally granted monopoly on copying the book. The purpose of copyright is to encourage creation. Copyright does let authors gain financially from their works, but that is not the purpose of copyright, it is a means to an end.
Books are not analogous to land. Physical property exists even if government does not.
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I really don't see the difference. Physical property rights don't exist without government if you can't defend them yourself. Without government, if someone stronger comes along takes a club to your head and demands the lock to your treasure chest, what will you do? Society defends your property rights, be it physical or intellectual property. Now for intellectual property, it has been decided that there is a time limited this property can be passed on after death. The first European versions of copyright were for particular works and expressly granted to provide income for authors.