Copyright

With the onset of simple ways to perfectly copy and distribute media, copyright laws have become an increasingly heated issue in politics. Record companies seek remunerations for copyright infringement claiming that such online file-sharing practices have hurt their bottom line. Quoting Orson Scott Card I see the situation as such, "Rapacious companies that have become bloated on windfall profits and ruthless exploitation of other people's talents are now terrified that the gravy train will go away." Though the answer isn't clear to me, I would like to see copyright laws offer protection to creators and authors of content while still allowing creativity, and word-of-mouth style sharing legal -- two seemingly contradictory ideas. We live in a world where every inventor, writer, composer, or creator relies on the inventions and ideas of predecessors along with the ability to easily share their creation with the world. In a perfect world, patents and copyrights would protect creators and protect earnings without creating barriers to creativity and cumulative progress.