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RobotToasteryesterday at 5:52 PM1 replyview on HN

Copyright didn't exist when Shakespeare was alive, clearly there was no incentive for him to write.


Replies

bell-cotyesterday at 9:16 PM

Disagree:

- In Shakespeare's day, the physical ordeal of setting type, printing, binding, etc. were a non-trivial moat against copying of printed works. Not so now.

- Shakespeare was closely associated with London theaters and companies of actors. Selling tickets for performances (of plays he'd written) was a far better way to make money than trying to sell scripts.