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Does Copyright Law Promote Creativity? An Empirical Analysis Of Copyright's Bounty, Raymond S. Ray, Jiayang Sun, Yiying Fan

Vanderbilt Law Review

Modern copyright law is based upon a theory: increase copyright protection and you increase the number of creative works available to society. This theory has been the driving force behind an economic vision that has expanded, beyond all recognition, the original law created by the Statute of Anne. And with this expansion, we are told that the costs associated with copyright are worthwhile because of the bounty it produces. What if this theory could be tested? After all, this is not a question of faith or morality, nor is it a statement on how humans should behave; it is a …