But the copyright monopoly is given to the creators. Tell me, who holds the copyright to the book you are writing?
The problem is that the distributors (formerly) had tremendous leverage over the creators because they controlled the distribution (access to paying customers). Through the monopoly of the distribution channels, they were able to coerce the creators to reassign or license at a pittance their copyrights to them.
The "new media" (e.g. internet) is allowing direct distribution from the creator to the customer, squeezing out the "old guild" distributors. Disrupting the distribution monopoly of the "old guild" distributors is a Good Thing and is happening right now, and with the copyright monopoly still in place.
Disposing of copyright entirely as advocated by the article would cause horrible "collateral damage" to creators.
...who holds the copyright to the book you are writing?
This is not as simple a question as it sounds. Before digital distribution, owning the copyright on a book in a world with no publishers would have been pointless. So while a writer might be granted a copyright, it was nonetheless for the benefit of distributors. People don't need to be financially incentivized to create art, but they do need to be financially incentivized to invest in printing presses, shipping networks, and book stores.
The problem is that the distributors (formerly) had tremendous leverage over the creators because they controlled the distribution (access to paying customers). Through the monopoly of the distribution channels, they were able to coerce the creators to reassign or license at a pittance their copyrights to them.
The "new media" (e.g. internet) is allowing direct distribution from the creator to the customer, squeezing out the "old guild" distributors. Disrupting the distribution monopoly of the "old guild" distributors is a Good Thing and is happening right now, and with the copyright monopoly still in place.
Disposing of copyright entirely as advocated by the article would cause horrible "collateral damage" to creators.