This would be true if copyright were held by authors and lasted within their lifetime, but that has not been the case for a while.
The idea that authors were complaining about their work being copied (rather than being flattered by it) or that all artists before copyright were poor due to rampant plagiarism is not accurate at all.[1][2]
The idea that authors were complaining about their work being copied (rather than being flattered by it) or that all artists before copyright were poor due to rampant plagiarism is not accurate at all.[1][2]
[1] https://questioncopyright.org/promise
[2] https://blog.ncase.me/why-copies/