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Protects it against what? GPL is itself a way of using the system against itself, with an end goal of replacing said system.

I guess If copyright seized to exist you could take GPL code and modify it without sharing back, but the users would also not be required to pay you for using it, so…

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actually no, a big part of the GPL3 these days is fighting "tivoization" which is not really protected by any "system" the same way as copyright. the only system protecting that is a cryptosystem locking it to manufacturer-authorized stuff.

also GPL is mostly trying to fight closed-source code which is just as possible without the current copyright system, it can still be kept private like any trade secret. GPL relies on the system to force releasing source.

So let’s take the AGPL that prohibits hosting modified software like for a SaaS.

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