One point this author makes that I entirely agree with is that "copyright" has often been used to enforce forms of feudalism. And particularly odious forms, IMO

One point this author makes that I entirely agree with is that "copyright" has often been used to enforce forms of feudalism. And particularly odious forms, IMO. One of the relatively few issues that actually has angered me a fair bit in recent years is the hoarding of content by companies that basically act as "landlords" and often do as little as possible beyond that. In particular, I've had experiences with this as a researcher - doing the work and, these days, really doing all of the writing, editing, graphics, layout, etc. (i.e., "publishers" often don't do even the tiniest bit of traditional "publishing work" if at all possible) only to have the content then locked behind a paywall with websites demanding outrageous fees for access. I've also had experiences with this in trying to support musicians whose work I love. It's virtually impossible to buy music through any of the larger companies and have any reasonable % go to the artists! I've tried multiple times to find services with reasonably extensive catalogues where, oh, I don't know, say even 30% of the money I spend would go to the people who MADE the music, and I've failed each time I've looked! So, instead, I mostly acquire music in other ways, and try to give money directly to the people who made it (and professionals involved in its actual production etc.) in other ways. Now, I know if there's any forum in which I will be corrected if wrong, it's this one. And, I'd be grateful if anyone can point me to better options regarding music, and video (as well), etc. I've been heartened by some of the firms publishing books using better models - providing unencumbered PDFs and the like. Also, significant efforts in academic publishing to change models, like "eLife", the various PLoS journals, etc. But, like many industries with questionable / potentially fading justifications for their models / continued existences in current form, many "traditional publishers" of various kinds have only become more of a PITA in their activities as time continues to pass.