The works of Shakespeare (died 1616) were written without copyright protection (Statue of Anne 1709). It can be argued, based on the amount of copying from pre

The works of Shakespeare (died 1616) were written without copyright protection (Statue of Anne 1709). It can be argued, based on the amount of copying from previous authors, that they could only be written because there was their sources were not subject to copyright. Although copyright is one mechanism to create incentives for creative activity, it is far from the only mechanism. kb