Does Copyright stifle or strangle innovation with it's laws?

Record companies giving artists a disproportionate amount of money for their work isn't really a part of copyright law. A musician's work is copyrighted by them creating an original piece, not by being signed to a record company. However, it is often true that to get any sort of 'fame' musicians need to be signed. This is because such thinfs as advertising are very expensive, and record companies have the financial clout to help artists gain the recognition needed to increase their fan base to a size that makes music a viable career. Knowing this, record companies 'get away' with offering crappy contracts because artists don't have another choice if they're serious about what they do.

What copyright does do is protect those people who create original material from having their work stolen. Be it a song, a novel, a computer program, copyright laws ensure that the original creator continues to take the credit for their work. This does not always mean they get paid for their work. For example, open source software is covered by copyright but is often free. The GPL dictates that, while software can be redistributed and edited (for a fee, if you so choose), credit must still be given to all who contributed to its creation.

Problems arise when governments start introducing laws, such as SOPA, in the name of copyright that actually affect a broader area. Such ideas as 'fair usage' mean that copyrighted material can be used for things like YouTube videos without needing to apply for usage licences and the like. This limits the rigidity of copyright laws to an extent, as you only need to credit the original creator to use their work, and actually helps create innovation.

So, to answer your question... Does Copyright stifle or strangle innovation with its laws? It does neither. It protects those who innovate, and through specific aspects of its laws enables certain levels of creativity and innovation. I don't really need to mention things like SOPA to answer the question, as that isn't really copyright law, it's more about policing copyright infringement.

And in regards to your comment that copyright laws weren't always around, that might well be true, but nowadays it's so much easier to take someone's work and claim it as your own, or provide it free of charge, than it was in, say, the 18th or 19th century when music was only played live and to recreate it you'd need a full orchestra. Or, when the printing press was first developed and it cost a fortune to print books.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/09nZRJi-PYs/viewtopic.php

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