I have spent my career in rooms where the word 'intellectual property' is treated with more reverence than the work itself. From the executive suites of major publishers to the frantic back offices of software startups, the consensus is absolute: without the ironclad grip of copyright, the creative well runs dry. But looking at the scorched earth of our current cultural landscape, I have come to the opposite conclusion. It is time to stop tweaking the margins of fair use and admit that the entire structure of copyright is a failed experiment that now does more harm than good.

We are told copyright protects the lone creator. In practice, I see it serve as a moat for massive conglomerates to hoard human expression. The original intent—to promote the progress of science and useful arts—has been inverted. Instead of a temporary incentive, we have built an eternal tollbooth. When a corporation can own the rights to a character or a melody for a century, they aren't protecting an artist; they are preventing the next generation from building upon the collective foundation of our culture. Innovation is iterative, yet we have made iteration illegal without a licensing fee.

In the software world, where I’ve watched this play out most aggressively, the absurdity is even more pronounced. Code is math, logic, and function. Attempting to own the rights to how a system interacts is like trying to own the concept of a hinge. By trapping essential functions behind copyright walls, we ensure that smaller players can never compete with incumbents who have the legal war chests to defend their 'property.' We aren't fostering genius; we are subsidizing litigiousness.

The standard retort is that without these protections, nobody would create. This ignores the vast history of human achievement that predates the printing press and the Statute of Anne. Humans create because we are driven to communicate, to solve problems, and to leave a mark. The open-source movement has already proven that collaborative, unprotected development creates more value and more robust tools than closed, proprietary silos ever could.

Abolishing copyright isn't a call for chaos. It is a demand for a return to a vibrant public domain where ideas compete on their merits rather than their legal status. We must stop pretending that a government-granted monopoly is the only way to fund a life of the mind. The gatekeepers are terrified of a world where they can’t rent-seek on the past. We should be excited for a world where we can finally build the future.