Copyright law exists to protect property rights in various types of creative works, such as art, books, music, movies, computer software, video games, etc. These works are protected to the extent that they are the result of creative efforts, and are unique from other works. A new work that is very similar to an existing work may actually be infringing on the existing work, depending on the particular facts. Copyright law is the recognition by the legal system that the efforts or artists, writers, any creators of works, should be encouraged and fostered by granting the protection of copyright in the resulting works.
Without such protection, an individual or company is reluctant to spend the time, effort, and money to make these beautiful, inspiring, entertaining creative works. Imagine if you spent months (or years!) writing a book, filming a movie, making a sculpture, or creating a video game – would you have even started if anybody could just copy it wholesale, claim and/or sell it as their own? Without copyright law we would live in a world with far fewer books, sculptures, music, or video games. Copyright law exists to protect these creative efforts because they are intrinsically valuable and enrich culture as a whole. Intellectual property, such as a copyright, may be intangible but it is still property, and belongs to the owner of that copyright.