Or perhaps copyright is a valid idea, and is not going to be abandoned.
Perhaps the government will simply increase the costs and risks associated with breaking that law until they are so extreme, and the risk of getting caught so high, that large-scale piracy will cease to be a worthwhile endeavor.
I know that HN is fond of the view that IP will be abandoned, but I see no compelling reason to believe your vision is more likely than mine.
I believe the institutional costs to ensure the practical security of digital IP always and everywhere would be all but indistinguishable from a police state.
One would have to outlaw user-customized hardware, non-corporate software development and build user spying capabilities into every device.
Large-scale piracy is very different than ensuring "the practical security of digital IP always and everywhere". Putting a _practical_ stop to services such as the Pirate Bay would be incredibly simple if it were enacted by national governments. If it turns out that in practice it's not enough there's numerous other easy, cost effective measures that could taken.
A solution doesn't have to stop 100% of piracy to be effective.
I specifically said 'large-scale piracy' because I agree that a sufficiently dedicated individual will always be able to steal intellectual property.
That said, an IP market doesn't need perfect government protection to survive. It just needs to be good enough that those who wish to steal additional copies incur substantive risk and/or cost.
I'm not arguing it's the best or only way to proceed, simply that it is a possible and seemingly viable way to do so, and as such, people would do well to recognize that the future is not guaranteed to be copyright and patent-free.
Perhaps the government will simply increase the costs and risks associated with breaking that law until they are so extreme, and the risk of getting caught so high, that large-scale piracy will cease to be a worthwhile endeavor.
I know that HN is fond of the view that IP will be abandoned, but I see no compelling reason to believe your vision is more likely than mine.