Copyright Kills Competition

"Copyright owners increasingly claim more draconian copyright law and policy will fight back against big tech companies. In reality, copyright gives the most powerful companies even more control over creators and competitors. Today's copyright policy concentrates power among a handful of corporate gatekeepers-at everyone else's expense. We need a system that supports grassroots innovation and emerging creators by lowering barriers to entry-ultimately offering all of us a wider variety of choices."

"Pro-monopoly regulation through copyright won't provide any meaningful economic support for vulnerable artists and creators. Because of the imbalance in bargaining power between creators and publishing gatekeepers, trying to help creators by giving them new rights under copyright law is like trying to help a bullied kid by giving them more lunch money for the bully to take . Entertainment companies' historical practices bear out this concern."

"For example, in the late-2000's to mid-2010's, music publishers and recording companies struck multimillion-dollar direct licensing deals with music streaming companies and video sharing platforms. Google reportedly paid more than $400 million to a single music label, and Spotify gave the major record labels a combined 18 percent ownership interest in its now- $100 billion company. Yet music labels and publishers frequently fail to share these payments with artists, and artists rarely benefit from these equity arrangements."

More draconian copyright law and policy claims to challenge dominant tech companies but instead reinforces control by the most powerful firms. Current copyright policy concentrates power among a few corporate gatekeepers and raises barriers for grassroots innovators and emerging creators. Strengthening copyright rights without addressing market imbalances will not deliver meaningful economic support to vulnerable artists. Bargaining power heavily favors publishing and distribution gatekeepers, allowing them to capture licensing payments and equity gains. Historical deals—large direct licensing payments and equity arrangements from streaming platforms to major labels—often fail to translate into artist compensation. These dynamics undermine creators' autonomy and market diversity.

Read at Electronic Frontier Foundation