The Oddities of Copyrights

I understand the need for copyrights, patents, and trademarks, but as is often the case, the reality of the law becomes such a complex system that a few take advantage of the key words and rules, while others find their options limited.

One great example is how often the rights to art, particularly music, is held by an individual other than those that created the art. I remember hearing how the Beatles did not/do not own the rights to their music, Michael Jackson bought the rights.

A few bands decided to sell their music solely through web based downloads, and not involve a large company, and because they did that the band members made more money than their cut of sales when dealing with said large companies.

There have been a few film and TV companies in the past who have stated "We would rather people download our content then never see it at all. We hope that if you watch our content and decide you like it, you will support us by purchasing a copy, and thus enabling us to continue to produce more."

There are some who try to make a profit selling copyrighted materials, but there are also many people who would not have sufficient funds to purchase all the media they download. Under those circumstances the companies are not losing money at all.

The situation reminds me of prohibition. People have been told it is illegal, but too many want "it" anyway, so they do "it", and only the most active 10% or so are actually prosecuted.