Quote:
Originally Posted by msundman
What are you basing that seemingly absurd claim on? When/where has something else been tried in the absence of copyright?
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Before the copyright system, creators were financed by patrons willing to bankroll them for purely philanthropical reasons. The system was only workable for small numbers of creators, however, owing to the small number of available patrons.
Before the patronage system, lords kept creative people in their houses. If you were creative enough, you were given favor with the lords (you ate at their tables, warmed yourself at their fires and had access to their women). If you did not, you were kicked out of the castle, to work in the fields with the other peons.
Copyright created a government-regulated system to guarantee an income to a creator. Copyright essentially allowed creation to become a business in itself. Since its inception, the raw volume of creation and innovation, by individuals and organizations, has increased dramatically, proving it superior to patronization and enforced servitude to encourage creation.