Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Copyright law gives the rights-holder the right to choose whether or not to publish. It's what lets you keep your private diary private, for example, should someone try to publish it without your permission. It's a two-way street: choose to publish or choose not to publish. As the rights-holder it's your (and nobody else's) decision to make.
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In the US, copyright comes from the Constitution.
"To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries."
The purpose of giving copyright is to promote the progress of science and useful arts, which is why the US has the idea of fair use embedded in copyright law. It's not an absolute.
Laws and traditions are different in different parts of the world. In the US, copyright is a trade off. In Europe, it was traditionally a royal monopoly. Other parts of the world have no real tradition of copyright.