It is actually the right to exclude others from making copies. It is not an absolute right either. Even the most hardcore maximalists accept that there are so

It is actually the right to exclude others from making copies. It is not an absolute right either. Even the most hardcore maximalists accept that there are some conditions under which that right does not exist, c.f. Jack Valenti's acknowledgement that it would be unconstitutional if the term of copyright was forever. http://www.jwz.org/blog/2003/11/forever-less-one-day/ http://www.jwz.org/blog/2003/11/forever-less-one-day/