Copyright protects small creators. If it weren't for copyright and trademark laws, any new and trending song / story / media would be instantly ripped off by corporations that would exist solely to throw budget at reproducing and popularizing their own soul-less versions of peoples' work, without any compensation for the original creators. Artists and photographers would never see a dime from the countless t-shirts, mugs, stickers, etc. other corporations would create and sell using their pictures.

I know there are many frustrating issues with how copyright law has been abused by large corporations who have gotten it extended way past the point of its original intent, but remember not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Copyright as as a basic legal concept is the only thing that gives many creators a chance to make a living from their work.