Why does the law require people to obtain permission
and pay fees for photocopying?
Copyright exists to foster the creation of all forms
of intellectual property, including books. The copyright law gives creators
of intellectual property a reasonable opportunity to be rewarded for
their creative work. To the extent that copyrighted works are unlawfully
copied; authors and publishers are deprived of their lawful income.
This could reduce the incentive to write and publish books and, in the
long run, harm education because investments of time and money in new
books will not be made if others copy such books without compensation
to the copyright owners.