Your post reflects the mental gymnastics that most copyright defenders practice to validate the current abusive collection of laws.
The painting you create is a THING with value because it's a canvas with oils and ink, and if someone steals it from you, you'll no longer have the painting.
But if I scan your painting and make a digital copy of it, you have contributed nothing to the copy that I have in my possession. I created it using my equipment, and you haven't been deprived of anything. You still have your painting, and I have a copy that I made using my own equipment and effort. The same concept applies to songs, movies, and all sorts of other forms of artistic expression. Unlike an old car, or an item from a store, or a service performed for someone, the original creator is not deprived of anything when a digital copy is made. If I choose to sing a song you wrote, I am not preventing you from singing it and am not taking anything from you. Images, songs, speeches, and other creative arts are IDEAS, and you can no more own an idea than you can own the photons that bounce off that painting you created.
Copyright laws are a gift that society bestows on creators. It's a reward to encourage the creation of new works, and it exists for the benefit of all of society...not just the creator of the work.
I don't oppose copyright, but I do oppose abusive copyright. I have no problem with creators being awarded a limited window in which they can collect royalties and payments for the use of their works. It helps to support the content creators, and helps society as a whole by promoting the creation of artistic works. What I oppose is the notion that copyrights impose ownership, and that people can be forced to pay out tens of thousands of dollars for sharing a single song. Over the past half century copyright laws have gone from a reward that society offered to artists and creators, to a tool used to control and regulate the way we share ideas and knowledge. To punish and imprison people for sharing a SONG is goddamned horrifying.
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