Who owns information, ideas and fun?

(this page is part of the Family Guide to Digital Freedom, 2007 edition. Please do read that introduction to know more about the Guide, especially if you mean to comment this page. Thanks)

Who owns information, ideas and fun?

Copyright is the legal right to control or prevent, within certain bounds and for a limited period of time, the distribution of creative works. Copyright can be a great incentive for authors, the fairest way to reward them and, eventually, a great advantage for society as a whole.