the problem isnt specifically about "digital" technologies, but intangible good in general (e.g. IP) i.e. if anyone can replicate my hard work without effort, why should i put in the effort in the first place? The way we've historically balanced this is through patents and copyright - they give you a legally enforceable way to get a return on your investment despite the fact that someone else can copy your idea. NPR has a good blog post about it - and in particular the problem of copyright duration creeping up over time: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/06/11/731447632/what-aladdin-and-napoleon-teach-us-about-copyright