What are the positive effects of copyright?

Answer 1

The protection of the person who created a specific work of art, music or anything else. The person who owns the copyright is to be paid for its use - this is how they earn their income, and it is their right to collect fees for the use of their works. It also prevents someone else from claiming something as their own when they know they had no rights to it in the first place.

Answer 2

Copyright infringement is a serious crime and the penalties reflect that.

In the United States, anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed.

In addition, an infringer of a work may also be liable for the attorney's fees incurred by the copyright owner to enforce his or her rights

There are also provisions for criminal prosecution of infringement and, although rare, they can carry penalties of up to $250,000.000 USD as well as 10 years in prison.

Answer 3

The economic impact of copyright infringement is hotly debated. Content owners will assert that billions of dollars are lost every year because of it, while content users deny this. Content users also claim that millions of dollars are made every year by exploitation of exceptions in the law, such as fair use.

Answer 4

The intent of copyright law is to encourage creativity by making it financially viable to create for a living. Thus, one would hope that the impact on society would be to encourage content creation, and thereby create more choice for content users.

Unfortunately, creators and users have a very different view of copyright's effect on their lives, creating essentially a culture of haves and have nots. Many creators and rightsholders view users as their enemies, always trying to get something for nothing, while users feel persecuted for simply wanting to enjoy creative materials.

Answer 5

It depends on the nature of the business. Some businesses create copyrightable works, some use others' copyrightable works, and some exist specifically to negotiate licenses between the others.

Answer 6

If we're creating content, copyright protects our rights. If we're using others' content, copyright limits what we can use without getting permission.

Answer 7

By allowing creators to ascribe value to (and derive an income from) their intellectual property, copyright encourages them to create more.