Copyright from the lens of reality | Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week

" ... 'Copyright from the lens of a lawyer (and poet)' is a defence of Elsevier’s practice of having copyright encumber scientific publishing. I tried to read it in the name of fairness. It didn’t go well. The very first sentence is wrong: 'It is often said that copyright law is about a balance of interests and communities, creators and users, and ultimately society as a whole.'  No. Copyright is not a balance between competing interests; it’s a bargain that society makes. We, the people, give up some rights in exchange for incentivising creative people to make new work, because that new work is of value to society. To quote the US constitution’s helpful clause, copyrights exist 'To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts' — not for authors, but for wider society. And certainly not of publishers who coerce authors to donate copyright! ..."