[ConservingFreedom]

The primary function of the US feral government

The Copyright Alert System is not government-mandated nor government-enforced.

has devolved into providing monopolies for big corporations

Not sure how this relates to the article - are you saying that copyright is monopolistic?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Copyright used to be for 17 years and was intended to benefit the individual who created the work.

Now Mickey Mouse has seen to it that copyright lasts 99 years (and it will be extended again the next time Mickey Mouse is about to enter the public domain) and the primary beneficiaries of copyright are not individuals, but ASCAP, GE, Viacom, etc.