In Which a Man Defends Intellectual Property

As a kid, I remember telling a lawyer that a perfect society would have no copyrights or patents. I was  upset that I couldn't download any music I wanted without paying a price for it! What would happen to the music industry if the government invalidated all copyrights? Communism's basic outcome provides an appropriate parallel: all music would belong to everybody, but a group of select someones would somewhere be profiting at the expense of everyone else, and the right we currently have to dispute such a group's actions would be eliminated. I have recently read a lot about how intellectual property laws of all types inhibit creative thinking and forestall innovation. These arguments do have merit—many individuals and companies take unfair advantage of such laws. However, historical facts repeatedly indicate the importance of private ownership in maintaining rights and liberties for individuals (think of the Middle Ages for starters). Intellectual property laws must be changed in order to keep up with advancing technologies, but eliminating them would concentrate power in the hands of a few and ultimately destroy the individual's right to possession.