IN2N asks a reasonable question:
I am curious though, why the copyright citation? Seems like a lot of folks around here ascribe to the notion that a man’s ideas are not his own…
If you want to take a shot, IN2N, then by all means, take a shot! As I’m the only possible target – being the party responsible for posting a copyright notice – there’s no need for this slyly oblique critique.
Anyhow, the reason for the copyright notice is twofold. While I am completely unconcerned about my works being copied and distributed electronically, I do not wish to see them promulgated without being identified correctly. I may be dubious about the ability to own ideas, but I do not deny that there is usually an original source for them, even if it is nothing more than a blending of ideas first conceived by other invididuals.
Second, my publishers and the overwhelming majority of my potential publishers do not subscribe to my skeptical view of copyright. If I wish to work with them – and I do – then I am compelled to respect their views. This is why there are no free downloadable versions of my novels posted here ala Charles Stross’s Accelerando, although I have repeatedly requested permission to do so from my publisher.