Watch the web series "Everything Is A Remix" for a good explanation.
http://everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/
TLDR: The original point of copyright law, which was to afford author limited protection in order to benefit from authorship and then advance the promotion and proliferation of the idea, has been eclipsed by the law itself — which is now what is being protected.
It won't change anytime soon because big copyright holders (E.g., Disney) can afford to bend the law to suit their interests, which are not the same as the interests of the consumer, or the provider (E.g., Google) or in many cases even the author.
PS. Video games and software never should have been subject to US Copyright — they should have been subject to patent. But that ship has also sailed.
-Dwight, who teaches copyright law at the collegiate level.