From: Kevin Smith <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2016 10:28:33 +0000

It is probably worth remember that the policy of ignoring copyrights
granted by foreign governments, which is what SciHub is doing, was
also the stance of the American publishing industry throughout the
19th century.  Publishing grew as fast as it did in the U.S. in part
because it was able to publish works from abroad without negotiating
royalties, since our nation did not recognize rights over foreign IP.

Copyright is not a god-given natural right, and we should avoid
reifying it.  It is, in fact, a form of economic social engineering
design to achieve particular conditions.  When it no longer serves its
purpose, it may be time to reconsider our commitment to the copyright
regime once again, as a policy decision made for specific historical
conditions that no longer obtain.

Kevin