'ETA: I am pretty amazed by your use of scare quotes around the words "rights" and "own". It's almost like you are mocking people who expect to be able to buy t

'ETA: I am pretty amazed by your use of scare quotes around the words "rights" and "own". It's almost like you are mocking people who expect to be able to buy things, and then own them.' In the USA at least, copyright is offered as limited privilege meant to achieve specific goals, so the scare quotes might be better used when talking about the "rights" of content creators over the material they "own". I mean, if you really own something, you can maintain that ownership as long as you like, and then pass it on to others to own, who can do the same, on and on, forever. But (modulo corporate shenanigans) that's not the case with copyright. And were it considered a natural right there would be no need to make special mention of it in the U.S. Constitution.