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This is a sort of tautological statement, or invert. Anyway, it only means you've convinced yourself but not others.

I've all but given up trying to argue any more on these threads. I can beat every pro-piracy argument, every time

In some way this is a toe to toe battle. Would you have, come brain implants, that every time I remember your song that some electronic transfer makes my account poorer and your own richer? If so we are to fight, and strength, not logic will win out.

". Would you have, come brain implants, that every time I remember your song that some electronic transfer makes my account poorer and your own richer? If so we are to fight, and strength, not logic will win out. "

"come brain implants" - Geez, bvw, you're more of a pessimist than I am. But I believe your warnings of violence are moot come that point. ;)

And you probably shouldn't cite a struggle between logic and strength here, since today it is actually the file swapper that celebrates his strength, against the logic of economics, in the most meaningful sense of those ideas. He may, and likely will, win (by force) the battle over the foundations of intellectual markets. But he will probably lose more than he gains in the end.

Creators, by that point, will increasingly be distracted by sustenance labors - doing redundant things (immune from instant theft) they'd rather not do, or they squander their talents by doing. The trend toward dampening the profitablility of intellectual markets will have an effect no different than common price controls. Quality suffers first, then quantity.

I'm not one to believe the basic nature of economics changes with technology, simply because man's physicality is a constant. Until man separates himself completely from physicality as we now understand it, he will always need to eat. He will always need shelter. And if scarce resources required for sustenance need to be allocated among many ( most of whom, among billions, cannot be farmers) intellectual markets need to be preserved, enhanced, and managed as a means of recognizing emerging forms of human utility on an increasingly crowded planet. If we remove that market without first removing the reliance on physical matter, there will be economic danger the likes of which has never before been seen.

Many thanks for an interesting question, bvw.