Blakley writes: "Copyright protection is a means to an end, and that end is
promoting innovation." As a long-time book publisher I can testify that
Blakley has it wrong. The aim of copyright is to protect the creator from -- to
use Blakley's own phrase -- being "ripped off". When copyright violators
like certain entrepreneurs in Taiwan copy a book, cd or dvd and sell it with
no royalties for the creators, they are not only cheating the artists, but
discouraging innovation. Innovation requires investors of time and money, but
why would anyone invest if they know they can then be "ripped off" from day
one?
