Omega sued Costco for selling its watches for prices below suggested retail, citing a tiny Omega logo on the goods that it said gave it the copyright holders power to control how creative works are distributed.

FORBES: Supreme Court Rebuffs Costco In Copyright Challenge

One view sees copyright as a right to control the distribution of copies of a work.

FORBES: What is Copyright For?

It has asked a court to severely sanction Toberoff for wrongdoing and accuses Toberoff of trying to wrest control of the copyright for his own personal profits.

FORBES: Heirs of Superman Creators Wage Epic Battle With Warner Bros.

The first sale doctrine has served nicely over the past century to balance the interests of copyright holders with the reasonable expectation of buyers for control over what they bought.

FORBES: You Bought It; You Own It ... Or Do You? Supreme Court To Decide

Many firms, she said, were registering trademarks to help them keep control of intellectual properties that were now out of copyright.

BBC: Row blows up over ownership of 'space marine' term

Perhaps most important, and as with MP3, the benefits of e-books to authors are highly compelling: much greater control over your own content and marketing, complete copyright ownership and a bigger piece of the financial pie.

CNN: Electronic books are poised to become a key medium

There are signs, including a rather large billboard in Times Square, that SOPA allies like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and movie and recording interests are still committed to fighting for more control over Internet content, ostensibly to further reduce copyright infringement online.

FORBES: Another Fall, Another Push By SOPA Supporters As Congress Returns

Meanwhile, some excessively self-absorbed copyright holders have been lobbying on multiple fronts for expanded power to control everything from the Internet to the electronic devices people use to access music or movies.

FORBES: You Bought It; You Own It ... Or Do You? Supreme Court To Decide