Copyright is being perverted to maximize commercial interests

From a review by Pamela Samuelson in Science:

In Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars, William Patry explains how copyright law has gone so far astray from its historical mission of promoting the progress of science (i.e., knowledge) by providing just enough protection to allow authors to obtain some reward for the artistic and literary works they contribute to our culture. Major copyright industries successfully convinced Congress that they have "property rights" in copyrighted works, such as sound recordings, and any music fan who downloads or shares her favorite music is a "thief" or a "pirate."

I suspect that Patry is right!