Quote:
Originally Posted by pruss
In writing one book or manufacturing a single widget, one puts in a certain finite amount of effort. One can only profit a single finite amount from manufacturing a single widget (a large amount if the widget is a sattelite and a small amount if the widget is a shoelace). But if copyright were perpetual, then one could profit and profit and profit forever from a single finite amount of effort.
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But you can "profit and profit and profit forever" from the single effort of buying shares in a company. Should we ban the stock market on the grounds that it allows people to profit without doing any work?