In the sense of Sapiens†, yes, copyright is a fiction, but so is money, or any law or contract or agreement. In as much as it affects people's lives and societies and economies it is "real". The question of the article isn't about realness, it's whether it can evolve or survive this latest shift.

† https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapiens:_A_Brief_History_of_Hu...