I think you may already realise the royalties answer, but want to poke HN readers. That's fine, by me, but I think you also are aware that the majority of software developers here don't like digital locks on creative work so write digital keys to circumvent them. They do not believe in outright copyright, they do not believe in royalties. They are against corporate media streaming platforms, that pay a pittance to artists and labels, big and small.
That's basically music.
Questions of copying, design, originality, costing and ownership become more detailed, complicated, and fractious, the nearer you move the conversation toward to code.
No, not 'never use DRM' objects; sometimes we do. Many developers are youngsters, from disadvantaged backgrounds, poorer countries, barely scraping an existence from their non-privileged zone of society. After exerting all their energies on an idea and writing the code, will go the mainstream route just to 'get it out there', to put a toe on the ladder. They can't worry that their efforts will be circumvented, they would give up entirely.
So some things that come with caveats are worth investing in. And there is some good in the majors. Throwing out the bad without the baby is the tricky part.
That's basically music.
Questions of copying, design, originality, costing and ownership become more detailed, complicated, and fractious, the nearer you move the conversation toward to code.