As authors, artists, musicians, business owners, people who create things, we should all appreciate the importance of intellectual property protection. Without it, our works cannot survive.
Technology has made matters considerably worse. While Napster lost its argument that it was merely a music sharing service, the damage it did endures. YouTube and other social media claim immunity to intellectual property litigation but may soon find themselves accountable for allowing posting of infringed materials. At the same time unravelling infringement claims is becoming increasingly difficult.
From foreign counterfeiting to illegal downloading and copying of music, creative works are under attack now more than ever. Not only must artists protect themselves, but as individuals we need to respect the rights and livelihoods of others.
Piracy has taken a horrendous toll on the music industry, but other media will soon follow if we don’t solve the issue of copyright protection. Remember when MTV aired videos 24/7? It stopped doing so largely because it could no longer afford to. Perhaps the most prophetic of all its videos was the one that launched MTV’s first broadcast (https://ultimateclassicrock.com/mtv-first-video-killed-the-radio-star/) When you have a moment, check out this link (source of the above image).