About 5 : (I quote you "Those creative people, though, want to profit from their efforts even as they shed the old constraints - they don't want their works to

About 5 : (I quote you "Those creative people, though, want to profit from their efforts even as they shed the old constraints - they don't want their works to become instant common property, usable and salable by all without compensation to the original creator, simply because technology enables easy copying." You only describe an instrumental goal here. The real goal is to have a fulfilling life (whatever that means), and the primary mean for most creative people is doing creative work, and being recognized for that. Money only matter to the extent that it helps creative people doing what they want (namely, create). I believe extra profit is secondary most of the time. As you pointed out, creators are more and more able to bypass established publishing entities, as distribution is becoming cheaper. Which means the creator gets a much, much bigger share of the pie. Therefore, the pie can shrink quite a lot before the creator can no longer eat. I don't think an abolition of copyright would shrink the pie past that point. (For those who already starve —need a day job—, that's another story.)