I came across this article by Philip Brocuom on why the concept of intellectual property is unsustainable given that we have the techonology to freely and cheaply copy digital media.
It follows a line of thinking that I’ve thought through before (albiet without the Star Trek references), and I’m glad that he’s written such a straight-forward post (so I don’t have to!).
My only addendum would be that we should keep in mind that most copyright rulings are based on leglisation that is horrendously out of date, and that the intellectual property legislation passed now may be used to limit real-world replication in future (thus unethically maintaining unnecesssary socio-economic divisions).
I feel that the onus is on us to ensure that we do not pass laws that protect current commercial practise at the expense of future social and civil progress.