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A Copyright Nightmare

New submitter forkfail writes "If further proof were needed that copyright law was out of control in the U.S., it can be found in the fact that it costs 10 dollars to view Martin Luther King's famous Dream Speech. You might think you could find it on YouTube or other public venues, given its importance in American history. But no — the rights are firmly locked away until 2038."

5 of 411 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Part of a money conflict within the King family by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dear IP Overloads. I'm worried. I want to get copies of the Gettysburg Address and , but if I read these words without paying the appropriate sums to the Lincoln and Shakespeare families, will I be sued, and what will be the fines for infringement? My understanding is that it is now the number of atoms in the universe squared dollars, but perhaps that has changed.

    Yours sincerely, your frightened subservient intellectual serf.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  2. Obviously by Glith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What better way to encourage him to create new works?

  3. The point of copyright is to expand public domain by mykos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And this is a great reason why everything should return to public domain within a few years. We, the public, provided an automatic monopoly on an idea with the expectation that it would be returned to the public in a few years. A FEW. Not 90. Not 100.

    The entire point of copyright is to encourage works to be contributed to the public domain. Kinda nullifies public domain when the duration of copyright is almost half as long as America has existed. Let's turn back the clock on copyright duration. Make it 5-7 years. If that was long enough to exploit one's works in the 1600s, it would certainly be adequate today with the speed of digital distribution.

  4. Re:Part of a money conflict within the King family by wisnoskij · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well obviously decency and a willingness to risk your own life to make the world a better place can skip a few generations.

    --
    Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
  5. Re:Part of a money conflict within the King family by Solandri · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The bitter family feud that has divided the children of Martin Luther King Jr. isn't much different than other fights between brothers and sisters -- except that this one has spilled into the courts and publicly tarnished the legacy of an American icon of peace and harmony.

    "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

    So that dream came true, just not the way he expected.