Isn’t copyright abolitionist the most rent-seeking position? Obtaining wealth without any part in its creation.

That's not how rent seeking works. Rent seeking requires exclusive access to a resource, i.e. an apartment in the original metaphor. Nothing prevents the author from monetizing it, too, and they get first-mover advantage and other legs up besides.

First line of Wikipedia (and OED) on rent seeking:

“Rent-seeking is the act of growing one's existing wealth without creating new wealth by manipulating the social or political environment.”

Describes copyright abolishment quite aptly.

if I printed book XYZ that is written by someone else, I'm creating value by creating the copy and enabling people to read it. Would you consider companies that sell bottled water as rent seeking? (assuming that natural fresh water is abundant in that area and free for all)

> if I printed book XYZ that is written by someone else, I'm creating value by creating the copy and enabling people to read it.

You have created value by stealing someone else’s wealth.

If bottled water companies were selling my water or my ideas without paying me, that would also be theft.

Intellectual property is intangible and cannot be stolen. Copying is not stealing; the original does not go away.

https://drewdevault.com/2021/12/23/Sustainable-creativity-po...

You at nitpicking definitions.

From your blog:

> Assume that we address both of these problems: we create an empathetic system which never denies a human being of their fundamental right to live, and we eliminate copyright.

So basically you advise solving world hunger and resource scarcity as necessary to avoid the need for copyright. That is literally impossible, there will always be someone who wants more than they have, who feels what a socialism-based society believes is sufficient is really not, and who are we as a society to judge the perceived needs of each individual? No thanks, I’ll take capitalism any day.

I advocate for democratic socialism, which is a mix of socialism and capitalism. Socialism for humanity's basic needs, capitalism for the wants.

Yes, it is possible.

Humanity’s basic needs don’t include books, movies, songs, art, etc.