Sure. We do measure that, and there are a great many studies that do just that. The results so far, as I understand them, are "no, the current law does not prod

Sure. We do measure that, and there are a great many studies that do just that. The results so far, as I understand them, are "no, the current law does not produce a net positive", but there's nothing to suggest that such measurements would stop working if the laws were changed such that they did produce a net positive. Some examples: - http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/09-132.pdf http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/09-132.pdf - http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/0118404830/0118404830.asp http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/01184048... - http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipreview-finalreport.pdf http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipreview-finalreport.pdf - http://www.booz.com/media/file/BoozCo-Impact-US-Internet-Copyright-Regulations-Early-Stage-Investment.pdf http://www.booz.com/media/file/BoozCo-Impact-US-Internet-Cop... I can't vouch for the strength of those particular reports or studies, but clearly people are putting a lot of energy into measuring this stuff. Why the nihilism?