Rationalizing Theft

In conjunction with my May 4th post on how performers need to be properly compensated when their works are used by a third party -- such as radio -- for profit, it is important to recognize we live in a society that increasingly expects to receive services for free. With the rise of the internet, it has become increasingly difficult to protect a person's intellectual property (IP), and to make sure the holders of this IP get properly paid.

Please read "Copyright Critics Rationalize Theft," by Mark Helprin, to get an idea of how important this issue is, and what would happen if we saw the collapse of our copyright system.