The primary objective of copyright is not to reward the labor of authors, but to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts. To this end, copyright assures authors the right to their original expression, but encourages others to build freely upon the ideas and information conveyed by a work. This result is neither unfair nor unfortunate. It is the means by which copyright advances the progress of science and art . . . . [Copyright law] ultimately serves the purpose of enriching the general public through access to creative works.

Sandra Day O'Connor, writing for the Supreme Court in Feist v. Rural Telephone (1994)