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Happy Public Domain Day: Works That Copyright Extension Stole From Us In 2015

Jennifer Jenkins, Director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, points out what could have entered public domain in 2015 but won't and why we need to use the upcoming Public Domain Day to focus on the importance of copyright reform. She writes: "What could have been entering the public domain in the US on January 1, 2015? Under the law that existed until 1978 -- Works from 1958. The films Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Gigi, the books Our Man in Havana, The Once and Future King, and Things Fall Apart, the songs All I Have to Do Is Dream and Yakety Yak, and more -- What is entering the public domain this January 1? Not a single published work."

328 comments

  1. Sad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Attack of the 50-foot woman" might be interesting. The problem is that the copyright holder is not showing this movie anywhere - going public domain would fix that.

    1. Re:Sad by caseih · · Score: 1

      I don't blame the copyright holder; I think it's too bad even for MS3K. That said, you can buy it on DVD. Though I think your money is better spent on Plan 9 from Outer Space.

  2. sarcasm? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It doesn't sound very happy. Nor very public domain, for that matter.

  3. i vote with my wallet by FudRucker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    i refuse to buy books, movies and music anymore

    --
    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
    1. Re:i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Err...no one is forcing you.

    2. Re:i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      down with the capitalist pigs!

    3. Re:i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, like you weren't going to steal anyway.

    4. Re:i vote with my wallet by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Well played. :)

    5. Re:i vote with my wallet by spire3661 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If copyright were sane, i would not infringe. If I could buy a DVD and be sure it would play on any device i want, i wouldnt infringe. If copyright holders didnt do silly shit like force licenses to remove the analog hole,(my TV has no analog sound out, only SPDIF, that can be turned off. Netflix would turn off the optical port completely if the show had 5.1 sound). i wouldnt infringe. The plain fact is copyright holders hold back technology. Until such a time as copyright returns to 14+14, im going to infringe, if nothing more than to remove some of their influence.

      --
      Good-bye
    6. Re:i vote with my wallet by Noah+Haders · · Score: 0, Troll

      well, here's the deal. you didn't make the movie. you don't make movies. othr people do this and it's their job and they want to get paid for it. they make contracts with people to get paid. if you don't want to sign the contract (eg, click the EULA/TOS, etc etc) then don't watch the movie. your position is untenable. it's like me going into a store and saying, i think the price on this TV is too high so I'm just going to steal it instead. get it now?

    7. Re:i vote with my wallet by spire3661 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Copyright is a social bargain. WE THE PEOPLE grant limited exclusive licenses, with the expectation of payment via Public Domain when the work's copyright expires (limited time). The copyright side of the equation has spent the last hundred years shoring up their position to the point where limited has come to mean anything less than infinity. Its time to dial them back. EVERY citizen has skin in this game. You cant have maximal copyright in an Information Age, it is simply impossible.

      --
      Good-bye
    8. Re:i vote with my wallet by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      that's awesome. Appropriate actions would be to "vote with your wallet" as in do not buy some stuff, instead buy other stuff. Other appropriate actions would be through voting / the political process, discourse / advocacy,etc. Inappropriate actions are theft. I can't believe I have to explain this to you.

      FWIW I agree with you. But I'm not a high-minded thief who tries to cloak my petty thefts with noble aspirations.

    9. Re: i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would like to be paid for my work 20 years ago again today. Where do I sign up for my government protected monpoly?

    10. Re: i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except, then the store no longer has a TV. Piracy != Theft.

      Its more like if the store was trying to charge you to look at a TV, and you took a picture and looked at it on your terms.

    11. Re: i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ugh. This again. It isn't the same at all. Are you people taking this position really that stupid or is this a troll?

    12. Re: i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who are you to declare what is appropriate and what isn't? I'll take what actions I please in response to illegitimate behavior, and thank you to stay out of my business... And I really shouldn't have to explain how taking something that then remains to be taken by another fails the basic test of "stealing."

    13. Re:i vote with my wallet by Sabriel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      ... No, I think you don't agree with him - or if you do, you're conflicted on the issue, and you're laboring under at least one false apprehension.

      Here's the thing: if one truly believes in a system of justice and the rule of law, then one must refuse to recognize the validity of any contract that is not of equitable nature (be it equally fair or equally unfair).

      So if you truly agree that copyright is no longer equitable, then (given the above) you must agree that _neither_ party is required to abide by its terms as-is. You don't get to call it theft, because in the absence of copyright the information that comprises a work _is neither tangible nor property_: stealing a "Harry Potter" DVD does not steal the concept of "Harry Potter" itself.

      This is why I generally consider any attempt to "copy-protect" a work, via a method that does not allow for the "limited times" clause of copyright law, to be either an act of fraud or a disavowal of the creator's rights to protection of that work under copyright law - because to deliberately attempt to make your work un-copyable while claiming the protections of copyright law would be tortious misconduct.

      Which doesn't mean I go around copying DRM'd movies on principle - there's more than enough free/cheap legal media for me to spend the rest of my life watching if I wanted to be a couch hermit - it just means that I recognize contracts (are supposed to) go both ways.

    14. Re:i vote with my wallet by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      contracts are voluntary. if two parties make a contract then equity is a matter of negotiation. here's your problem though - copyright is a social contract, and can only be made at the aggregate level. which means that if you want to change it then you need to make everybody else agree with you.

      this is the same as for all social contracts - like criminal law, or property rights. tl, dr, don't be a douche. my troops are done so I'm going to play CofC.

    15. Re:i vote with my wallet by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      And that's the thing the corporate masters have brainwashed the public into believing: that they have a natural right to control content they created (or bought, or extorted, or whatever). Um, no. We the people have the natural, unalienable rights. I have the right to free speech. You cannot stop me from singing a song just because you sang it first. I have a right to my personal property. You do not have a right to tell me I cannot use my copy machine to copy something you made (assuming I obtained the source material without force or fraud). Copying is the natural right. The copying of ideas themselves is not only natural, it's impossible not to do! Once I've seen the movie, well, what has been seen cannot be unseen. It's now in my brain.

      But, we as a society recognize that if we just copy everything artists and authors make as soon as they make it, they will not be incentivized to produce as much. And we like what they make! So, no problem. We can come to a mutually beneficial agreement. We will voluntarily curtail our real, natural rights for a limited time so they can make a profit. We will allow them to make a profit. And not even out of the goodness of our hearts! Just as a practical means to an end: to get more stuff we can enjoy (and eventually copy).

      But the arrangement has got to be mutually beneficial, and reasonable. 14+14? Reasonable. Civil lawsuits to punish infringers (of a reasonable copyright term)? Reasonable. Hell if it were 14+14 still, I'd help you catch them. But the DRM? My device I own telling me "no?" No no no, that's not how this works. My computer is my slave. It does what I say. Not what Sony says or Disney says or Microsoft says or Apple says. My slave does not say "no" to me. And then the DMCA? It's a crime to tell somebody how to make their computer obey them? My speech to help someone exercise their private property rights is a crime? And Sony rootkits with no punishment?

      Nope. The social contract is null and void. They have violated the spirit of the agreement. Go back to a reasonable set of laws and we can talk. But until then? Fuck it. Not worth it. No summer blockbusters, no pop princesses are worth this corruption of my natural rights. Don't care if they can't make a profit. Burn it all to the ground and nothing of value will be lost.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    16. Re:i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As an IP holder, thank you for a rational response. I have suggested we return to 18 year chunks, with a single post-mortem renewal being allowed, to assist family after the creator's death. And it would be based on the creator's life, or that of the members of the creating team, not that of a corporation with indefinite lifespan.

      Certainly content creators should benefit from their work. But that benefit should not be an in-perpetuity to others.

    17. Re:i vote with my wallet by doccus · · Score: 1

      THe contract is FINISHED when all parties have been paid. It is NOT a fsair extention of any contract to suddenly squeeze x amount of "new" dollars out of it, unless EVERYBODY originally involved gets a cut. And believe me, they sure the fuck DON'T. Take your "attack of the 50 foot woman" Did any of the actors get part of this renewed Amazon and netflix or google play proceeds? What avbout the Best boys? the Gaffers? The extras and the makeup department? No? But I hear you screaming "they got paid already". Indeed they did. And therein lies the moral argument against "they should be allowed too squeeze as much out of it as they want, it's their film". What you're saying actually is THE INVESTORS should , as any artists have a right to,. squeeze as much out of it. But investors arent artists. And none of the actual artists ARE getting reimbursed. So I call extended copyright out and out theft, from the public, and the original artists and technicians involved, both.

    18. Re:i vote with my wallet by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      cool. then boycott copyrighted works and advocate for changing the law. don't steal. is that what you want to teach your kids?

    19. Re:i vote with my wallet by Dragon+Bait · · Score: 1

      Here's the thing: if one truly believes in a system of justice and the rule of law, then one must refuse to recognize the validity of any contract that is not of equitable nature (be it equally fair or equally unfair).

      You have a false premise. There are lots of laws that I disagree with -- even the current length of copyright -- but I don't go around breaking every law I disagree with just because I disagree with it. If everyone did that, it would be anarchy, not to mention, why have laws in the first place (since you're going to do whatever you damn will want anyway).

      Noah has it right. Work within the system to change the law. Boycott the products that benefit the opposition. But deciding that you're both the legislative and executive branch and breaking the law is not only not legal, it is not the right approach.

      By the way, your seriously deluding yourself if you think we've ever had a system of justice. We have a system of laws (such as it is). Justice is a mythical creature that only exists in theory. One person's justice is another person's injustice.

    20. Re:i vote with my wallet by Desty · · Score: 1

      cool. then boycott copyrighted works and advocate for changing the law. don't steal. is that what you want to teach your kids?

      The point of contention here is that these "copyrighted works" are very old and could be considered culturally significant, and that the current rights holders are not the people who created the works.

      Consider this: imagine these laws were even more extreme and it was illegal to share or view an image of the Mona Lisa or a copy of Shakespeare's works online without paying Fox or MGM a stupid sum of money. In that case, would you advocate that society boycott reading Shakespeare or viewing the Mona Lisa? Is that what you want to teach your kids -- to lie back and accept an unjust situation? If so, why? If not, why is it a different situation to "Attack of the 50-foot Woman"?

    21. Re:i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You really are missing the point. The laws in the US, the ones that our forefathers died for, are supposed to be made with the consent of the governed. Do you really believe that if you polled the people, they would agree to a copyright term of life of the artist plus 70 years? I already know the answer: No. Just no. You know as well as I do where these laws come from. Donations to political campaigns. Lies from candidates. Committee chairmen. Political corruption. A public that is too distracted with ten thousand other issues to take a cohesive, concerted and co-temporal action to fight unjust copyright laws. But the copyright holders pay lobbyists to be Johnny-on-the-spot with the campaign contributions 24/7. They absolutely know this has nothing to do with consent of the governed. They are playing a dangerous game, accross the board. Remember "No taxation without representation"? And all that followed? Go ahead and be a loyalist. Use their language. Follow their rules.

    22. Re:i vote with my wallet by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      Umm, go to a library? Buy a book?

    23. Re:i vote with my wallet by doccus · · Score: 1

      cool. then boycott copyrighted works and advocate for changing the law. don't steal. is that what you want to teach your kids?

      YOU are missing the point in a big way. *I* am one of those people that the studios have been stealing from, and I can tell you, I don't like it. How is it that these people can suddenly milk my work, for big bucks, and yet claim that I do not deserve a cent off of it? And you expect me to enthusiastically support copyright laws that don't give a fuck about one of the original creators?

    24. Re:i vote with my wallet by Sabriel · · Score: 1

      Here's the thing: if one truly believes in a system of justice and the rule of law, then one must refuse to recognize the validity of any contract that is not of equitable nature (be it equally fair or equally unfair).

      You have a false premise. There are lots of laws that I disagree with -- even the current length of copyright -- but I don't go around breaking every law I disagree with just because I disagree with it. If everyone did that, it would be anarchy, not to mention, why have laws in the first place (since you're going to do whatever you damn will want anyway).

      ... I'm not seeing my false premise. As I pointed out later in my post, my position on copyright doesn't mean I'm going to go out and copy all the movies. Society is a mesh of overlapping obligations and responsibilities. So while I think "copyright" is an inferior and even fundamentally flawed mechanism, "Don't be a douche" (as Noah put it in his reply to me) remains a tenet I agree with.

      By the way, your seriously deluding yourself if you think we've ever had a system of justice. We have a system of laws (such as it is). Justice is a mythical creature that only exists in theory. One person's justice is another person's injustice.

      I know. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try, at least a little. The alternative, as you said yourself, is anarchy.

    25. Re:i vote with my wallet by Dragon+Bait · · Score: 1

      By the way, your seriously deluding yourself if you think we've ever had a system of justice. We have a system of laws (such as it is). Justice is a mythical creature that only exists in theory. One person's justice is another person's injustice.

      I know. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try, at least a little. The alternative, as you said yourself, is anarchy.

      Justice cannot be achieved. Take the case of Michael Brown versus Officer Wilson. If Wilson isn't charged, there is a sizable contingency that will know that justice was not served. If Officer Wilson was charged, there is a sizable contingency that will know that justice was not served.

      The best you can hope for is a system of laws where everyone is equal before the law. Yes, I know, this is also a pipe dream. But it is the best you can hope for. So, in absence of a justice system -- you can have a system of laws. You don't need to have anarchy.

    26. Re:i vote with my wallet by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      Why did you sign a contract with a studio if you don't like the terms?

    27. Re: i vote with my wallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Kids, If you get big enought to manipulate law throught basically legal bribes, you, too, can dictate what is wrong and what is right. Until then seriously consider the ethical implications of listening to those Nicky Minaj songs without paying for them."

    28. Re:i vote with my wallet by doccus · · Score: 1

      Why did you sign a contract with a studio if you don't like the terms?

      Er.. Need work? Like everybody else that aren't "big stars" we have to accept what we get, unless it's our own project, and are hardly in any position to negotiate royalties!

    29. Re:i vote with my wallet by doccus · · Score: 1

      Why did you sign a contract with a studio if you don't like the terms?

      Er.. Need work? Like everybody else that aren't "big stars" we have to accept what we get, unless it's our own project, and are hardly in any position to negotiate royalties!

      I'd like to add that nowhere was any hint that they'd be reissuing this stuff on dvd comps or streaming in the future. There was no real internet when I was involved in the film biz. The music unions, OTOH, have much better terms for reissues, and we even got a cut every year , even the most lowly of us, from the collected tape and CD surcharges.. If you wonder where it went, that's where, it was to poor and rich musicians alike , according to how much they worked.. NOT how much they earned. The fairest surchage in the world.

    30. Re:i vote with my wallet by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      ironically, you're saying as an artist it's ok for people to steal music, because stealing deprives income from studios, who avariciously deprived income from artists.

  4. revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Minimum size for copyright gets set at 1KB. Doubles every year. Anything that can be fully described in 1KB (and subsequent sizes as it doubles) can no longer be copyrighted. Anything that can be compressed below the threshold can no longer be copyrighted. Encourages development of more complex ideas. Longer Movies. Less trolling caused by patents on simple ideas etc.

    If doubling results in large sizes too soon then simply change the multiplier. Something like 1.2 etc.

    1. Re:revolutionary idea? by daremonai · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wait, longer movies? Have you sat through any major film lately? Poor Bilbo Baggins already suffered through 8 or 9 hours of Peter Jackson, and you want to send him back for more?

    2. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or we could just go back to the original Copyright law.

      It was more than adequate to give an incentive to the creators.

      The suits on the other hand, are gonna be pissed because it will take away an avenue for rent seeking; which means it will never happen because suits own Congress. They get away with it because the electorate is stupid and easily manipulated with sound bites and bumper sticker reasoning.

    3. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How does your asinine idea on copyright stop patent trolls?

    4. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Or we could just go back to the original Copyright law.

      It was more than adequate to give an incentive to the creators.

      The suits on the other hand, are gonna be pissed because it will take away an avenue for rent seeking; which means it will never happen because suits own Congress. They get away with it because the electorate is stupid and easily manipulated with sound bites and bumper sticker reasoning.

      Copyright should be limited to the original creator's natural life and cease within 12 months thereafter allowing time for the estate to be settled. No corporation should own a copyright which outlives the creator(s) of the work plus a decade. Surely these limits would encourage creative works as well as protect the rights of the creator(s) to profit, if so decided, from their works during their lifetime. As for politicians, anyone receiving money or other considerations from a special interest group should be immediately charged with fraud and removed from office forthwith and furthermore banned from seeking public office or any advisory role directly or indirectly with the government or an organisation providing such services to government. Any cabinet member including the leader of the ruling party should be stripped of all assets regardless of source if they vote on legislation contrary to the public good. Executives in organisations engaging in fraud against the public good should be stripped of all assets regardless of source, imprisoned for a period of not less than 100 years, and forced manual labour on public works projects for a minimum of 75% of the 100 year sentence regardless of age. A penal colony at the South Pole to house these politicians and executives funded by the money seized during the investigations. The facilities should be sparse and monastery-like with no creature comforts nor communication with the outside world allowed. The facility to be patrolled and administered by automated systems so there is no need to hire human guards and administrative staff.

    5. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Copyright should be limited to the original creator's natural life and cease within 12 months thereafter allowing time for the estate to be settled. No corporation should own a copyright which outlives the creator(s) of the work plus a decade.

      Wouldn't this create an unfair advantage for corporations to higher younger creators?

    6. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some people claim that the greatest works of art were created before copyright existed.
      Perhaps it would be better if we cut down on the quantity of creative work and encouraged the people who are into it for the art rather than the money.

    7. Re:revolutionary idea? by swillden · · Score: 4, Interesting

      No corporation should own a copyright which outlives the creator(s) of the work plus a decade.

      How does this work when there are hundreds of people working on a project, like a film? Does the copyright expire ten years after the first death, or the last? If the former, then pretty much any movie more than ten years old will be in the public domain. If the latter, I guess we're going to start seeing a few dozen babies somehow contributing to every new project, all of them selected from families who seem to live unusually long.

      Also, what constitutes "death"? What happens if a member of the crew is cryogenically preserved and later brought back to life? Does copyright get reinstated? And what happens if people stop dying? It doesn't seem at all unlikely that within the next few decades we acquire the ability to keep a human body alive indefinitely (though I'm not sure if the brain is up to remaining useful for much longer)?

      I think tying copyright to human lifespans is a bad idea. I prefer ever-increasing copyright maintenance fees. If Disney is willing to pay a billion dollars a year to keep Mickey, fine. But for most works, the copyright owners will eventually decide that it's better to release it into the public domain.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    8. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (Posting AC because of moderation)

      For collaborative works, a contract specifying division of the IP can be set up at filing, something like:
      "Each member of Electric Bedroom Slipper, as specified in the attached list, shall share equally in the proceeds of this copyright, except that Alvin Atrocious, lead singer, shall have two shares..."
      The life plus one year rule could then apply to each of the individual shares.

    9. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or we could just go back to the original Copyright law.

      I think this is a terrible idea. When your potential audience is a few hundred thousand literate people, you may need 28 years to garner enough sales to justify the effort in creating your work. But when your potential audience is billions of people worldwide, you don't need more than 1-2 years, tops.

    10. Re:revolutionary idea? by AchilleTalon · · Score: 1

      Bad idea, the initial investment must also be protected. Otherwise, it will become impossible for someone to get the money required to effectively produce something.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
    11. Re:revolutionary idea? by Noah+Haders · · Score: 3, Insightful

      yes 100%. one thing that america has proven over through 200 years of history is that the profit motive does not create the best country on earth /s

    12. Re:revolutionary idea? by Maelwryth · · Score: 1
      How does this work when there are hundreds of people working on a project, like a film?

      The person who had the idea? You can have hundreds working on a project but ideas aren't thought of by hundreds of people, they are thought of by one.

      --
      I reserve the write to mangle english.
    13. Re:revolutionary idea? by Smallpond · · Score: 1

      English, motherfucker, learn to write it.

      ITYM "hire"

      No. I find younger creative workers are frequently higher than older workers.

      Anyway it's incorrect. The incentive it would create is to kill artists when you want to pirate their booty, er, works.

    14. Re:revolutionary idea? by BoberFett · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why should copyright have anything to do with the creator's lifespan? The goal of copyright is to encourage people to create, not to set people up with lifelong income streams.

    15. Re:revolutionary idea? by BoberFett · · Score: 2

      You're kidding, right?

    16. Re:revolutionary idea? by deek · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Want to encourage the creation of creative works?

      It's well known that creativity flourishes with experienced adversity. The irony of the copyright system is that it's actually discouraging this creative seed. Artists are way too comfortable, living off royalties, to knuckle down and start producing stuff.

      I say we cut copyright to a bare minimum. A year at max. That'll get those lazy artists off their collective arses, and provide plenty of encouragement to create something at least once per year.

      Remember kids, nothing speeds productivity like poverty.

    17. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, stupid idea.

    18. Re:revolutionary idea? by pevans · · Score: 2

      Noting the sarcasm tag, so you believe that the USA is actually the best country on earth? You honestly believe that.

      Wow.

    19. Re:revolutionary idea? by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      the "radical american experiment" in popular rule has changed the world. can that be said about other countries?

    20. Re:revolutionary idea? by stiggle · · Score: 1

      So to make Lord of the Rings (movies) public domain we just need to shoot Peter Jackson?

      What's wrong with the original 21 years. If you can't recoup the costs or generate a reasonable income from 21 years of copyright then you've got bigger problems.

    21. Re:revolutionary idea? by neghvar1 · · Score: 1

      This is my revolutionary idea. Add a "use it or lose it" clause to copyright law. If no legitimate means of easily acquiring a legitimate copy of the copyrighted work is provided by the copyright holder, then after X number of years, that work falls into public domain. The whole point of copyright before these extensions was for the artist to profit off their works for a short period of time. After which if they wanted to continue making a profit, they had to continue using that creative mind of theirs to create new works of music,books, music, etc. It is not the intention of copyright for the creators childen's children's children's children or a corporation for centuries to be squeezing every possible penny out of the public who are interested in the work

    22. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An artist has a duty to the society in which he lives. The rest is baloney.

    23. Re:revolutionary idea? by RyoShin · · Score: 1

      I prefer ever-increasing copyright maintenance fees. If Disney is willing to pay a billion dollars a year to keep Mickey, fine. But for most works, the copyright owners will eventually decide that it's better to release it into the public domain.

      You and I are of the same mind. This does away with the whole problem of corporations owning copyright, as well.

      My thoughts specifically are about doubling/halving price/time, respectively. You start with a regular fee and a regular term (I think the original term was 14 years? Sounds good to me.) After 14 years they can apply for a renewal, which will cost them twice as much and last only 7 years. The chart would be:

      Renewal...Cost...Length
      0..........X........14
      1..........X*2......7
      2..........X*4......4 (we'll be nice and round up)
      3..........X*8......2
      4..........X*16.....1
      [...]
      N..........X*2^N....1

      Mickey is 85, so under this system Disney would have had to pay X*4.61*10^18 to renew this year (even with X=1, this is far larger than the entire world's Gross Product, so Disney would have had to give up decades prior.) As an added bonus, the increasing renewal fees can be used to subsidize initial applications, making it easier for smaller companies and individuals to copyright.

    24. Re:revolutionary idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No corporation should own a copyright which outlives the creator(s) of the work plus a decade.

      How does this work when there are hundreds of people working on a project, like a film? Does the copyright expire ten years after the first death, or the last?

      The last, of course. We have these magical tools called computers that can keep track of these things.

      A nice way to do this would be to require that some percentage of the gross for ANY good involving creativity be set aside, perhaps 5%. We have any person participating in the project (or any dependent projects) in a creative fashion get some share of this amount. As people die, the survivors get better shares. This right can not be transferred by any form of contract or will. Alternately, we might allow it to be transferred for a limited time, perhaps 10 years, by will, but never by contract.

      Thus, for example, for the sale of a computer, every engineer working on every chip going onto a computer, plus every programmer, would get to share in the gross sales of the hardware.

      Some third party entity, or perhaps a government agency, could keep track of the details and the payouts.

      There are precedents for this kind of handing rewards via shares in many historical commercial activities, such as trading ventures and prize money. This could simply be viewed as a more modern form of the practice, updated to allow larger groups of people to benefit with the aid of modern data systems.

      We could still allow free not-for-profit usage of the good or service after a reasonable period of time, perhaps 20 years. As long they get a reasonable chance to make money off their work, most creative types are likely to be reasonable about this kind of thing: the sensible ones really only get upset when somebody is making money off their work and they get little or nothing (which happens quite a lot in the current system: the biggest pirates are found amongst the ranks of the corporations and the lawyers).

  5. And that's still too long by ChromeAeonium · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Attack of the 50 Foot Woman? Try the Lion King and Pulp Fiction. Works from 1994 should be in public domain. Twenty years sounds fair to me. Intellectual property is supposed to protect works, giving an ability and incentive to produce new works, not act as a perpetual revenue stream for whatever entity owns the rights to older books, music, games, and film. This life of the universe plus a month nonsense is completely counter to what IP should be.

    1. Re:And that's still too long by DiamondGeezer · · Score: 1, Troll

      Does it sound fair to someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life? Or written a best-selling novel? Or composed a symphony? Or written a screenplay?

      I'm sure it does sound fair to parasites who think they are entitled to other people's work without compensation.

      --
      Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
    2. Re:And that's still too long by jones_supa · · Score: 0

      Works from 1994 should be in public domain.

      Why? So that you could acquire them for free? What's the motivation?

    3. Re:And that's still too long by itzly · · Score: 5, Insightful

      someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life? Or written a best-selling novel? Or composed a symphony? Or written a screenplay?

      That's 99.99% of the population.

      I'm sure it does sound fair to parasites who think they are entitled to other people's work without compensation.

      You mean the people who inherit the copyright after the author's death ? Or the people who take stories from public domain, adapt them for the movie screen, and then get to keep all the rights and money forever ?

    4. Re:And that's still too long by optimus2861 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Does it sound fair to someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life? Or written a best-selling novel? Or composed a symphony? Or written a screenplay?

      It sounds plenty fucking fair. Architects & engineers don't get paid royalties for years & years on work we did ages ago. We certainly don't continue to get paid after we're dead. And if we fuck up, things fall apart. People can get hurt. People can die. If a screenwriter fucks up, nothing of any consequence happens.

      I'm sure it does sound fair to parasites who think they are entitled to other people's work without compensation.

      If you did the work 20 years ago, tough shit. Welcome to the world of everybody else.

    5. Re:And that's still too long by itzly · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So other poor artists can use them for their own creative works, for example.

    6. Re:And that's still too long by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Works from 1994 should be in public domain.

      Why? So that you could acquire them for free? What's the motivation?

      You could make a pretty good case for Shakespeare's descendant's being entitled to profits from his works, using the rationale used for copyright extension.

      There really are only so many possible stories and plotlines. What do we do when we have exhausted them all, now that we have entered the age of perpetual copyright? Because we have exhausted them all.

      Reminds me of when a local college sued a medical group, claiming they owned the term "University" They lost, but that's the kind of thing that will eventually start winning. I'm expecting a movement to remove works from PD, and place them back under copyright protections.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    7. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Get a fucking job and start to work like other people. If 20 years income is not enough from one gig you definitely need to find a steady job.

      This whole copyright is ridiculous. Give 25 years only to creator and only to physical person, not companies. Make sure if this copyright is inherited cannot be extended over original 25 years. If author wants to setup company for management he/she hast to be involved physically as majority owner. If ownership is under majority limit copyright is void immediately. This would make a strong incentives to authors managing their property and it would prevent setting up companies like Disney or music studios. Otherwise they can still provide SERVICE for authors' companies for money but nor for shares.

      In this 25 years period you should get strong protection no fair use policies anywhere, including personal use, backup but after 25 years everything is free for ever.

    8. Re:And that's still too long by dgatwood · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Twenty years sounds fair to me.

      Twenty years from creation (copyright is currently defined as starting at creation) is way too short. I'm about to publish a trilogy of novels, and I started on the first one in 2001. By your standards, six years of profiting from my works should be enough. That's laughable.

      Twenty years from first publication might be reasonable, but it is still problematic for works of fiction, because it is a short enough period of time that a film studio wanting to make a movie would be sorely tempted to wait out the copyright rather than paying the author for the use of his or her work.

      On the one hand, you have individuals creating works, and on the other hand, you have big corporations creating works. The former need a lot more time to exploit their works, because they have fewer resources for doing so. The latter can adequately exploit their works in just a few years, after which, they're essentially leeching off the public domain. A reasonable copyright scheme needs to consider both of those situations and treat them differently. For example, you might set a twenty year limit for works for hire, but make the duration be 75 years for copyright owned by individuals. Or you might require the copyright to be renewed every fifteen years at 1% of the property's total gross revenue, so a movie that brought in $40 million pays a $400,000 renewal fee every fifteen years, but a book that made only $7,000 pays a $70 renewal.

      Either way, a flat twenty years is absurd.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    9. Re:And that's still too long by dissy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Does it sound fair to someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life?

      Try three, and yes not only do I think it is fair, but clearly you too think it is fair by your actions (or you're just admitting to being a parasite criminal stealing my work... either way you look pretty bad)

      To claim you don't think it is fair, you need to send me my first payment, and continue sending me payments every month for the rest of your life.
      Until those checks clear, you're just being a lying hypocrite.

      In fact, you seem to be arguing that even ONE payment is too much, let alone multiple ones.
      So I thank you for your permission to take anything you make for free - or I would if you actually made anything.

    10. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No fair use policies anywhere? Do you realize this effectively kills the satire genre of comedy?

    11. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Big corps will effectively wield a monopoly on all of the ideas in movies, since anything you'd produce could be argued as too similar to something in their massive portfolios.

    12. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "(copyright is currently defined as starting at creation)"

      This doesn't sound correct to me. Can anyone else confirm? I've frequently seen software where the copyright gets extended as the product is built upon. eg. "Copyright 2001, 2004, 2005." Assuming you haven't actually released the novel to anyone yet, you could add a sentence to it and the copyright is updated.

    13. Re:And that's still too long by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      It's not that important. The artists can easily make original content, which would create more interesting art anyway, than some reheated old stuff.

    14. Re:And that's still too long by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Big corps will effectively wield a monopoly on all of the ideas in movies, since anything you'd produce could be argued as too similar to something in their massive portfolios.

      Which of course, will make the whole process come to a grinding halt.

      The exact opposite of the original intentions.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    15. Re:And that's still too long by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I completely agree with you that 20ish years is plenty before a work enters public domain. The original 1790 statute which had a default period of 14 years was also plenty.

      However, I think there are some things overlooked in your arguments...

      It sounds plenty fucking fair. Architects & engineers don't get paid royalties for years & years on work we did ages ago.

      That's because you have a choice to get paid up-front. Most artists/creators don't. If someone offered you a contract: "Hey -- you can design my building for me, and I'll give you X% of the rents for the next Y years, but I'll pay you nothing now," would you do it? What if the building was in the middle of nowhere in a completely untested market? What if your design was also very unconventional and you didn't even know if it would work?

      Those are the kinds of things a novelist or even a non-fiction author, say, has to deal with all the time. They invest their time and effort spending months or perhaps years generating a work, often with no money up-front. And unless they're an established author, they're often breaking new ground, perhaps trying out something new which may or may not sell well.

      I suspect most architects and engineers here wouldn't take such a risky deal. They'd prefer to actually get paid when they do their work, as do most people. Most creators take much bigger risks in the hope that MAYBE some day down the line they might recoup their expenses and time.

      And -- of course -- the vast majority DON'T. For every creator who makes millions of dollars off of their books or songs or screenplays or whatever, there are thousands of creators who never really make a profit. But they try anyway, and maybe they get something back.

      We certainly don't continue to get paid after we're dead.

      I don't know why everyone is so obsessed with deaths of authors.

      Look -- copyright is broken, but it's effectively a contract between creators and the public. If you signed onto a deal like I offered you above, where you got no money up-front, but I said you'd get a share of the rents on the building you designed for 20 years, that contract generally wouldn't void at your death. The rents would be paid to your estate or your heirs for the original term of 20 years.

      Why should it be any different? The few creators who do actually make money often have kids to feed. If I spent a year writing a novel and with my family suffering without enough money expecting X years of possible revenue from my novel, why should they not get the expected years of revenue if I drop dead from a heart attack the minute after my book is published? Copyright terms should be fixed and short -- whatever they are. The death of the artist is irrelevant.

      And if we fuck up, things fall apart. People can get hurt. People can die. If a screenwriter fucks up, nothing of any consequence happens.

      Not sure what this has to do with anything. Are you saying that we shouldn't pay anyone anything if they don't do something "essential" enough or something? Why the heck do we pay sports players or actors or whatever? Most people spend significant portions of their days listening to music, watching TV, etc. Just because something is viewed by you as "entertainment" or something doesn't mean that it isn't hugely important to you or society -- and if we don't have a system that rewards creators, art gets worse. Good artists choose to do something else with their time. And there are also writers who contribute significantly to new ideas, knowledge, etc. -- if these people won't get compensation, they may not choose to do it. That's potentially "somethign of consequence" happening.

      If you did the work 20 years ago, tough shit. Welcome to the world of everybody else.

      Again, I think most artists/creators would LOVE to take a deal like most people and get paid up-front.

    16. Re:And that's still too long by tepples · · Score: 1

      Chapter 3 of US copyright law sets the end of the copyright term for works made for hire and works published before 1978 at the end of the 95th year after publication or the 120th year after creation, whichever is earlier.

    17. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Instead of time, set a limit in money. Depending on the effort to create, once the money is earned, gains are either limited, or taxed (to get the surplus income to the state). Possibly not a hard limit. In exchange for the taxes collected, create a department that judges great but low-income works and supports authors with that money. This avoids both absurd income, as well as it promotes diversity.
      Its what corporations may have done in the past, offering a kind of security for authors, while cashing in on great (money-wise...) works. This, however, seems to be limited to the latter recently. State might help, even if it sounds a bit socialist.

    18. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Works from 1994 should be in public domain? Works from 2015 should be in public domain.

      Imaginary Property is just that - imaginary.

    19. Re: And that's still too long by stephencrane · · Score: 1

      David Gerrold, is that you?

    20. Re:And that's still too long by swillden · · Score: 1

      Twenty years from first publication might be reasonable, but it is still problematic for works of fiction, because it is a short enough period of time that a film studio wanting to make a movie would be sorely tempted to wait out the copyright rather than paying the author for the use of his or her work.

      So what?

      Answer this: Would the knowledge that no movie studio would pay you millions to license your novels have stopped you from writing them? You can argue that that possibility factored into your thinking, but that's not the point. The point is: If that possibility, and that alone, were completely removed, would you have chosen not to write?

      You have to keep in mind that the purpose of copyright -- as envisioned by the framers of the Constitution, who provided the legal framework for it -- is to benefit society, not authors. It's to promote creation and publication. So, society should set the terms of the temporary copyright monopoly at the minimum level required to motivate authors to write and publish, and no higher.

      Personally, I'm a fan of geometrically-growing copyright registration fees. Make it free for the first decade (from publication), $100 for the second, $10K for the third, $1M for the fourth, $100M for the fifth, $10B for the sixth, and so on. Each decade costs 100X what the previous decade did. Oh, and adjust the fees for inflation, too. The idea is to ensure that all works have 20-30 years in which the owner can attempt to sell it, and to hold out the promise of even longer for blockbusters with long-term financial viability, but to ensure that everything eventually falls into the public domain. The offer of longer terms for blockbusters, note, isn't to benefit copyright holders financially so much as it is to dangle a carrot, because hardly any work will justify $100M, and it's likely that nothing would justify $10B.

      Your notion of basing it on gross revenue is interesting, but I think it would be too easy for big studios to game.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    21. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Do you really expect one moments inspiration should give you the right to sit on your ass for the rest of your life while others toil to support you? Just think of how many lives a billionaire or millionaire actually makes worse to support their lifestyle. A fair days work for a fair days pay, if you want to play the starving artist then be prepared to starve.

    22. Re:And that's still too long by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      The obvious solution to this is to trademark the characters, that way the work can be released to the world but derivative works with the same characters or some portion of it couldn't be made without your permission.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    23. Re:And that's still too long by tepples · · Score: 1

      A trademark cannot be used to extend the effective term of any of the exclusive rights under U.S. copyright. Dastar v. Fox.

    24. Re:And that's still too long by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Copyright does not automatically mean that the artist can be just sitting on his ass for the rest of his life. His works have to be good so that he keeps getting profit from them.

    25. Re:And that's still too long by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Works from 1994 should be in public domain? Works from 2015 should be in public domain.

      Imaginary Property is just that - imaginary.

      I think you're imagining things.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    26. Re:And that's still too long by spire3661 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Copyright is a SOCIAL BARGAIN. Its a two way street. Consumers do not have to be creators to have a stake in the game. The Consumer side of copyright is getting fed up with infinite copyright and e have every right to speak out about it. Take your righteousness and shove it.

      --
      Good-bye
    27. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "They invest their time and effort spending months or perhaps years generating a work, often with no money up-front. And unless they're an established author, they're often breaking new ground, perhaps trying out something new which may or may not sell well."

      Obviously not someone who's ever worked at a startup.

    28. Re:And that's still too long by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Does it sound fair to someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life? Or written a best-selling novel? Or composed a symphony? Or written a screenplay?

      Sounds fair to me, and I make my living from copyright.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    29. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not that important. The artists can easily make original content, which would create more interesting art anyway, than some reheated old stuff.

      I think the last time that Disney created original content was in the era of Steamboat Willie. So long as Disney continues to depend on reheating old stuff (carefully chosen from works not registered in the US), it is irrational to claim that smaller artists can "easily" do that.

    30. Re:And that's still too long by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      So every time somebody creates something, it is instantly in the public domain. No chance to make any money off of it. Basically, such a system would mean that there would be no such job description as writer, musician, painter, sculptor, actor, director, etc. Everybody would just have to do it as a second job in their spare time. Art would suck, because nobody would have time to devote to it. There would be no live music other than local acts. There certainly would be no movies other than those made just for fun and at their own expense by independent producers.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    31. Re:And that's still too long by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Ne moment's inspiration?

      You've never created anything, have you?

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    32. Re:And that's still too long by dryeo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The original 1790 statute which had a default period of 14 years was also plenty.

      The original statute was written in 1710 with the title

      An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by Vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or Purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned

      Note that right from the beginning of modern copyright law the idea was for works to go into the public domain for the advancement of society and even as that law was being drafted the publishers were claiming that they needed infinite copyright "for the artists" and even then were actually ripping the artists off with a small payment to get all the rights to a work. This is the real tragedy of copyright, it usually benefits the publishers way more then the artists.
      You have cases like Issac Asimov being amazed he could get paid multiple times for a work or the Beetles getting totally ripped off at the beginning of their career as they only expected one payment. More up to date is the sequel to Forrest Grump which will never be filmed due to the first film making no money and the artist not getting paid, good old Hollywood accounting.
      If an architect got promised a percentage of the rent and then got paid nothing most people would consider it a ripoff, yet it is normal in the copyright world.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
    33. Re:And that's still too long by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

      The original statute was written in 1710 with the title

      No, it wasn't. TFA is talking about American copyright law, which dates to the first copyright act of 1790. The statute you're citing applied in England, but it was certainly not the first copyright statute, whose concept dates back to the late 1400s in various Italian cities where certain publishers or writers were granted exclusive writes to publication, usually for periods of 7-10 years.

    34. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it is a short enough period of time that a film studio wanting to make a movie would be sorely tempted to wait out the copyright rather than paying the author for the use of his or her work.

      Why is that a problem? I mean, apart from the knee-jerk "big business == bad" association.

    35. Re:And that's still too long by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

      (Obviously I meant "rights" not "writes.")

    36. Re:And that's still too long by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      i thought steven colbert killed the satire genre

    37. Re:And that's still too long by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Answer this: Would the knowledge that no movie studio would pay you millions to license your novels have stopped you from writing them? You can argue that that possibility factored into your thinking, but that's not the point. The point is: If that possibility, and that alone, were completely removed, would you have chosen not to write?

      No, but only because writing is not my core profession. But the correct question is not whether any particular person would choose not to write, but whether the number and calibre of people who choose to write would decrease (in aggregate). I'm fairly certain that both metrics would decrease.

      You see, writing books is in some ways like playing the lottery. Yes, you can write great books and you might find a following, but the vast majority of authors eke out a fairly meager living even if they do find a following. There are pretty much two ways that you can do substantially better than that: sell a lot more books than average or get discovered and have your book optioned for a movie. Cutting out one of those options significantly reduces your chances of not dying penniless.

      But unlike playing the lottery, writing involves a lot of skill, and requires you to devote a lot of time and energy. In a way, choosing to write is a bit like choosing a major in college. A few people choose majors based solely on what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but far more people choose majors in part based on whether the major will land them a job that pays a decent salary. As careers in specific fields pay less money over time, the calibre of students progressively declines. So as you reduce the odds of a potential payoff, you'll get fewer skilled writers choosing it as a career, and the writers who do choose it as a career will also decline in quality, on average.

      Don't believe me? Take a look at the quality of TV news in the past couple of decades. That's what happens when salaries start out bad and then fail to keep up with inflation.

      Your notion of basing it on gross revenue is interesting, but I think it would be too easy for big studios to game.

      It's easy to game the net, but it shouldn't be possible to game the gross receipts. After all, people either paid money to see the film or they didn't. I mean, maybe if everyone went to a subscription model....

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    38. Re:And that's still too long by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      It reduces the motivation to become an author.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    39. Re:And that's still too long by ChromeAeonium · · Score: 2

      You shouldn't make assumptions. I work in plant breeding, an area where patents are very controversial, with an active anti-agriculture movement who often claims that there should be no patents on the plants people like me work hard to develop, and that people like me should work for free or not at all. I've got some nifty new things right now I hope get patented in due time. I've dealt with real anti-IP sentiment, I've defended patents and copyright in general at length, and I fully agree that those who say there should be no IP of any kind are just looking to get stuff, and are deluding themselves when they say everyone can simply stop paying for movies, games, programs, ect. and the creaters will still, somehow, get a return on their creative investment.

      But that's not that this is about. The copyright system as it stands now is broken, and badly. I fully realize that creators should get control of their works for a time, but this 70 years after you die stuff...how is copyright on the works of someone who has been dead for half a century fostering the arts? I get that if someone dies their next of kin should be supported and all, I'm certainty not saying IP should be automatically terminated at death, but lets face it, that's not what's going on here is it?

    40. Re:And that's still too long by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      There really are only so many possible stories and plotlines.

      No, there aren't. Music may be constrained by its medium but the imagination knows no such limitations.

    41. Re:And that's still too long by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      Or the people who take stories from public domain, adapt them for the movie screen, and then get to keep all the rights and money forever ?

      The original stories are still in the public domain, there's nothing stopping you from adapting them yourself.

    42. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Twenty years from first publication might be reasonable, but it is still problematic for works of fiction, because it is a short enough period of time that a film studio wanting to make a movie would be sorely tempted to wait out the copyright rather than paying the author for the use of his or her work.

      Not being facetious, but so what? If the film studio is willing to wait, then your story just isn't that valuable. If it is, then another studio would pick it up to beat them to market. If a short waiting period is acceptable, then the amount they were going to offer could not have been that large (ie it is less than risk of waiting).

      If it is not that valuable, then longer copyrights would do nothing except ensure your book never becomes a movie. Either way you receive nothing.

      What you have described is the very reason copyright is evil...
      "copyright should be longer because I might be able to profit in a way that is only tangential to my original work"

      You wrote (or will write a book). You deserve to be compensated for book sales. You don't deserve to be compensated for other people's efforts to build on your work.

    43. Re:And that's still too long by Smallpond · · Score: 1

      Sure. Take Snow White for example. Nobody owns a character from a fairy tale.

    44. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Again, I think most artists/creators would LOVE to take a deal like most people and get paid up-front. But that's not generally an option, and it's not the way we seem to do things in our culture. The only people who can demand significant compensation up-front (commissions, book contracts, etc.) are generally the people who will already be guaranteed to get a significant return anyway. For artists who do things that aren't as high-profile or are less popular, they take big gambles. If they do succeed, they should be appropriately compensated -- otherwise, why the heck should anyone spend months or years of their time creating quality intellectual works?

      I would participate in a crowd-funded commission for the next album of my favourite music artists. You don't have to be _that_ popular to be supported by your fans if you are one musician. And if creative works were paid for upfront and made available for free and no restrictions on sharing after they are published, artists would get a bit more visibility and get supporters a bit more quickly than they do now.

      This is a bit of a simplification, sponsorship through crowd-funding of one music artist is probably generally easier than doing the same for a film -- depending on the scale/budget of the film.

    45. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your notion of basing it on gross revenue is interesting, but I think it would be too easy for big studios to game.

      See "Free ticket to movie X when you buy movie Y'd DVD at inflated price Z!"

      Sorry "gross ticket sales percentage" X participants, the movie didn't gross quite as much as we hoped....

    46. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So every time somebody creates something, it is instantly in the public domain. No chance to make any money off of it.
      Basically, such a system would mean that there would be no such job description as writer, musician, painter, sculptor, actor, director, etc. Everybody would just have to do it as a second job in their spare time. Art would suck, because nobody would have time to devote to it. There would be no live music other than local acts. There certainly would be no movies other than those made just for fun and at their own expense by independent producers.

      Youtube seems to do ok without taking copyright away from the performer.

      Most singers, actors and song writers that are published (youtube is probably the #1 producer in the world now) are already working a real job. They do it because they want to do it. Most commercial art sucks, so does most fan art. I don't see a difference in quality, aside from bigger costume, equipment and FX budgets most of the time.

      Most artists already can't make money off it. What we have is a tournament system where millions are ground up in the hopes of being among the half dozen a year that "make it", with the extracted value being accumulated by billion dollar corporations instead of spread amongst society.

      I don't see losing that as a big deal. A good kid with a cheap pc and webcam can make a better FX movie than any hollywood studio could 100 years ago. Better than most from 50 years ago and, for those few a few grand and months more, better than what we saw 30 years ago.

      Even if we were somehow prohibited from making stuff for 30 years, after that blink of civilization we'd have a higher output than before none of the restrictions.

    47. Re:And that's still too long by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      There really are only so many possible stories and plotlines.

      No, there aren't. Music may be constrained by its medium but the imagination knows no such limitations.

      If George Harrison was still alive, he could chat with you about how "My Sweet Lord, was copyright infringement of "He's So Fine", written by Ronnie Mack, and recorded by the Chiffons in 1962.

      He was sued, and he lost. And yet, seems like the two songs could be hardly less related.

      http://wzlx.cbslocal.com/2013/...

      I only say what will happen in the future - and it will. Your interpretation of the human imagination and it's lack of limitation means nothing to the people who plan to profit from perpetual copyright.

      Look, I have no doubt that eventually, as we find out that this so called protection of IP will end up destroying new IP, and sanity will end up taking over.

      But just like patents on "A Novel Way of Collecting Information From a Computer Screen by Looking at it" patents and lawsuits based on that sort of crap stifle innovation, we'll undergo a period of time when people will be sued for silly stuff in the music and literature field.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    48. Re:And that's still too long by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      Yeah but then again almost every fantasy novel ever written borrowed heavily from the trail blazed by The Lord of the Rings. Look at the wildly popular Malazan series, he openly looted from dozens of other works such as "Black Company" and yet he remains unsued, and don't get me started on Game of Thrones.

      There's more to the arts than music.

    49. Re:And that's still too long by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      If she was dressed in a similar fashion to their interpretation, they might have had grounds to sue. Meanwhile.

    50. Re:And that's still too long by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Yeah but then again almost every fantasy novel ever written borrowed heavily from the trail blazed by The Lord of the Rings. Look at the wildly popular Malazan series, he openly looted from dozens of other works such as "Black Company" and yet he remains unsued, and don't get me started on Game of Thrones.

      There's more to the arts than music.

      Believ eor do not. You are saying exactly what the lawyers will say. Used as evidence of plagiarism.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    51. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree that a flat 20 years is absurd! It should be FIVE YEARS from publication date, release date, or patent grant date, no extensions of any kind allowed and applied retroactively to EVERYTHING ever copyrighted and patended. In other words, any works over 5 yeras old (based on publication date, release date, or patent grant date) becomes public domain immediately and permanantly, and anything less than 5 yeras old becomes public domain at the 5 year mark from publication, release, or patent date. Copyrights and patents that have been extended beyond all reason are being used to suppress dirivitive works, and new technology that could greatly benefit society as a whole, so that some overly greedy bastards can profit from their ancestors works, or suppress technology that threatens their profits.

    52. Re:And that's still too long by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Not being facetious, but so what? If the film studio is willing to wait, then your story just isn't that valuable. If it is, then another studio would pick it up to beat them to market.

      You're starting from a bad assumption—the assumption that the book is extremely popular. Those are the uninteresting cases, because those authors already made a crapton of money on the book. I'm talking about the adaptations of less well-known books. These often take many, many years, simply because it takes time to even discover that the books exist. If you discover a book after fifteen years, and if the copyright term is only twenty years, you won't have to wait long.

      To give you an example, The Princess Bride was released in 1973. The movie based on that book came out in 1987. That's 14 years. Given that nobody had adapted it in 14 years, the odds of somebody else adapting it and releasing it over the following 6 years would have been low. So under the proposed 20-year duration, Goldman would probably have gotten shafted by the studio. Worse, as I understand it, that book made most of its money after the movie came out, so he also wouldn't have made much money on the book.

      According to your logic, The Princess Bride should never have been made, because the book was still under copyright. Yet it was made, and the resulting movie is so popular that it gets quoted in about every other Slashdot article, so clearly it was valuable. Based on that counterexample alone, I find your argument inconceivable.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    53. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This whole copyright is ridiculous. Give 25 years only to creator and only to physical person, not companies.

      Says the poster who never has created anything commercially viable for an extended period of time.

      Look, all you whiny Slashdotters are really saying, I deserve to get free stuff whenever I want like I did since I was in high school, and I don't create anything as a principal so I can't benefit from the current law. I don't have that kind of talent or ambition.

      So the current law has to be overthrown, or ignored!

    54. Re:And that's still too long by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      I'll believe you when George RR Martin gets sued.

      Can't copyright an idea champ.

    55. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      20 year limit for not-for-profit duplication, from publication (not from creation).

      70 year limit for profitable use.

      Sound fair?

    56. Re:And that's still too long by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      It sounds perfectly fair to me, and I've been making at least part of my living as a writer since 1990 or so.

      I'm sure it sounds plenty unfair to someone who thinks they should be compensated indefinitely for a single piece of work. To a reasonable person, though, it might sound a bit different.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    57. Re:And that's still too long by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      I'm expecting a movement to remove works from PD, and place them back under copyright protections.

      I hate to be the bearer of ill tidings, but you might be interested in knowing that it's already happened.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    58. Re:And that's still too long by martin-boundary · · Score: 1
      Sorry, but you're doing it wrong. If you've started your novel in 2001, and you've decided to write two more over a total period of 14 years before even considering publishing it, then you're not operating a business, you're playing a hobby. That's fine, but you're not qualified to discuss commercial imperatives of publishing books.

      Copyright isn't intended for hobbyists. It's great that hobbyists can benefit from copyright as well, but the purpose is to promote the creation of works, ie to improve the natural rate of creation. What you're doing is a high-risk labour of love. It's high risk if you're spending 10+ years without actual feedback from paying customers, it means there's a high chance it will never be read by more than 10 people in the world and it's possible you might have to pay for the publishing costs yourself. And *that* is not sustainable for a society if all writers were doing this. Hence copyright, to increase production.

      What you should be doing (or should have done before) is publish your first novel quickly, or even publish a few short stories first to get real feedback from customers. Lots of science fiction authors got their start that way in the 50s, or even today online. It's the right thing to do because it minimizes risk and ensures that *something* gets published and read. And you get timely feedback, and you can adjust your writing so that more people will want to read what you write next. Read Asimov's advice for young writers, for example.

      That is what copyright is intended for: to accelerate the creation and dissemination process. Hobbyists don't need the incentives of copyright as they're quite happy to spend years writing at their own pace, even if it costs them opportunities, readership, and their own money.

      And that is not a criticism of you or anyone else who's a hobbyist, life is more enjoyable if you do what you love, rather than what others force you to do for a living. Keep doing what you love, soon you'll be dead like all of us (except for Ray Kurzweil...)

    59. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am inventor on a patent.

      And I think copywrite with the present terms is way too long.

      it needs to revert to 25YR, none of this death +for fucking ever
         

    60. Re:And that's still too long by elgatozorbas · · Score: 3, Insightful
      For lack of mod points I'll answer, because I agree with this post and don't think it is fair to label this troll.
      (In the below "you" refers to the critics)

      1) if you appreciate a creative work, why not pay for it? Buy the DVD, buy the CD, buy whatever medium and you can view or listen as many times as you want. If you don't want to pay, you don't get to see the result of the creative process. If you don't want to pay, why would the creator of Pulp fiction let you to see the movie? What obligation does he have in the world to allow you to see it? I never understood, and most likely never will understand this typical /. logic of piracy vs theft etc. Thanks for sharing the fruits of YOUR labour through open software, but please allow other creative people to differ.

      2) Why should an author's heirs not be entitled to the fruits of the labour of their ancestors? Why should they be entitled to his house, savings, but not future profits? Why would it be that, because coincidentally, someone dies, you get to see the movie for free? Why would you rank higher than the creator's children? Let's hope Stephen King dies just after writing a masterpiece, because now we are entitled to read it for free. What sense does that make???

    61. Re:And that's still too long by stjobe · · Score: 2

      Twenty years sounds fair to me.

      Twenty years from creation (copyright is currently defined as starting at creation) is way too short. I'm about to publish a trilogy of novels, and I started on the first one in 2001. By your standards, six years of profiting from my works should be enough. That's laughable.

      You wrote the first one in 2001 and sat on it for 13 years, then complain that 20 years would be too short?

      Twenty years from first publication might be reasonable

      20 years from publication is about twice as long as is reasonable. Most novels make the vast majority of their sales in their first year, after that it just peters out to nothing over a number of years. It's a rare novel indeed that still makes sales after ten years, let alone twenty.

      On the one hand, you have individuals creating works, and on the other hand, you have big corporations creating works.

      That one is easy - disallow corporations from owning copyrights. There's no sane reason why copyrights should be allowed to be transferred from the creator anyway - and a corporation is not an entity that can create things anyway.

      Either way, a flat twenty years is absurd.

      No, what's absurd is the current situation of life+95, with renewals allowed every time that term is in danger of coming to an end.

      Copyright is supposed to be a restriction of our right to copy the works of others so that the other can profit from it for a short while - thereby giving the other an incentive to create. But giving up our right to copy forever was never the intention of the deal.

      It's high time to renege on a deal that's been perverted by one side into something that no longer even resembles the original intent.

      --
      "Total destruction the only solution" - Bob Marley
    62. Re:And that's still too long by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 1

      All you pro copyright posters seem to frame the argument in the same way "blah blah, jealous loser|thief|poor who has never created anything in their life".

      I have not pirated anything in over 15 years (at least not intentionally) and I think this extension of copyright lark is absolute bullshit, and pushed primarily by corporate concerns. I don't think copyright is useless, it's just extremely broken, and you are completely unable to address any of the actual points.. you just keep resorting back to ad-hominem.

      TL;DR ad hominem is no way to win an argument, your argument is weak, and you're probably a paid corporate shill.

      --


      He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    63. Re:And that's still too long by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      This life of the universe plus a month nonsense is completely counter to what IP should be

      Don't believe the fairy tales - they control their adherents.

      Copyright is just like every other function of government - to privatize gains and socialize losses. These are not the exceptions to some grand Platonic vision - they are the reality of the situation. Wooly-headed thinking only enables things like the Sonny Bono Act to gain passage. Every time they seek more power, it's to screw the public.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    64. Re:And that's still too long by sh00z · · Score: 2

      Does it sound fair to someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life? Or written a best-selling novel? Or composed a symphony? Or written a screenplay?

      I'm sure it does sound fair to parasites who think they are entitled to other people's work without compensation.

      Parasites like Walt Disney, who didn't have to pay a penny for the rights to Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and many others that they continue to withhold from the Public Domain. The Disney Corporation has now held the copyright on their version of "Alice in Wonderland" for more than TWICE as long as Lewis Carroll did for the original work.

    65. Re:And that's still too long by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Copyright is supposed to be a restriction of our right to copy the works of others so that the other can profit from it for a short while - thereby giving the other an incentive to create. But giving up our right to copy forever was never the intention of the deal.

      This. Copyright is supposed to be a *temporary* block on your natural right to make copies, in order to provide incentive to create and make public, and profit, during that temporary block.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    66. Re:And that's still too long by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Actually, the obvious solution is do that, *and* continue publishing works. Once you're done with the characters, the countdown to copyright expiry should start.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    67. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have published a few novels, and 20 years is more than enough. It sounds like you're publishing your first books, which is awesome and I congratulate you. It's a lot of work, stick with it. But please, do not err on the wrong side of copyright reform. I do not expect to make a living off the books I published 20+ years ago, they don't sell nearly as well as my newer work. One can't rest on their laurels, in pretty much any industry.

    68. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed. I think the people complaining about copyright are probably mediocre at their "creative" job. The uncreative people want copyright extended, because they make a living at something they are naturally not good at, and require long copyright terms to shore up their lack of ability to create. I've seen this for over 30 years now!

    69. Re:And that's still too long by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      I don't buy the "studios would wait until the copyright expires." Once the term expires every studio would make a movie of a popular work to capitalize and they'd all cannibalize each other. It would be way more profitable to secure the exclusive rights and profit now rather than wait 20 years and compete.

      Under a 20 year rule (which I don't agree with...14+14 is fine), Harry Potter would still be under copyright (published in 1997). Rowling sold the rights to the first 4 books for about $2 million. Each movie has made over a billion dollars. What studio is going to say "nah, we could make billions now, but it would cost us $2 million for the rights! F that noise, we'd much rather wait 20 years and then compete with 15 other knock-offs!"

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    70. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is why you should be able to pay to extend beyond 20 years, increasing exponentially the more years you want it

    71. Re:And that's still too long by anyGould · · Score: 1

      I'll agree with point 1 - if you like the work, pay for it. (I do make an exception for works that I can't find for sale for whatever reason. If you can't be arsed to put a copy up for sale, Disney, don't bitch when everyone finds a copy on their own.)

      Point 2 is where you lose me - they already have inherited the fruits of the writing - assuming Mom & Dad didn't spend all that money up front. And a world where there's no tax or limitation on inheritance is a world that creates "trust fund babies" - kids who are rich, will continue to be rich, and they became rich by the hard work of being born to someone rich. It always strikes me as notable that the defenders of copyright only worry about the recent stuff. Disney will fight to the death to keep the Mouse in copyright, but happily steals much older public domain sources for free. What would the world look like if someone was still collecting royalties on Shakespeare? Or even James Bond and Sherlock Holmes?

    72. Re:And that's still too long by codeButcher · · Score: 2

      ... if we don't have a system that rewards creators, art gets worse. Good artists choose to do something else with their time.

      Now I see what has happened to American music....

      --
      Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
    73. Re:And that's still too long by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      I don't buy the "studios would wait until the copyright expires." Once the term expires every studio would make a movie of a popular work to capitalize and they'd all cannibalize each other. It would be way more profitable to secure the exclusive rights and profit now rather than wait 20 years and compete.

      Well, maybe, but there are a lot more books than could ever readily be made into movies, and most movies aren't based on books, so I'd expect it to come down to probability. The highly popular books (e.g. your Harry Potter example) would, of course, be licensed, but that's because there's a lot more money to be made by making those movies quickly than delaying them (with the exclusivity being an added bonus). However, lots of other books that get licensed today (e.g. my Princess Bride example) probably wouldn't get licensed under a 20-year limit.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    74. Re:And that's still too long by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but you're doing it wrong. If you've started your novel in 2001, and you've decided to write two more over a total period of 14 years before even considering publishing it, then you're not operating a business, you're playing a hobby.

      If by "hobby", you mean "side business", you're correct. While writing those books, I was working for a computer company as a paid staff writer. They paid my bills while I worked on those books. In effect, I worked under a patronage system, and these three works were the ones that had no patron backing them, hence one reason that they took so long to finish..

      The other reason it took so long to publish the trilogy is that the books's timelines are tied together in parallel, which means that I couldn't safely publish the first book until I finished writing the third. Were it not for that, the first book would have been published in about 2004, give or take. If I were not having to create my own publishing toolchain, and having to do all the copyediting myself, and doing the cover design, and doing custom font design, the third book would have been published in 2011, give or take.

      What you should be doing (or should have done before) is publish your first novel quickly, or even publish a few short stories first to get real feedback from customers.

      That's great advice if your goal is to create more of the same pablum that is typical of today's book market. It's terrible advice if your goal is to find your own voice, because creativity seldom occurs by committee.

      That is what copyright is intended for: to accelerate the creation and dissemination process.

      Copyright is to encourage the creation of new works, period. If its purpose were to accelerate the dissemination process, it would not apply to many classes of creative work, such as art, which almost by definition have only one copy. If its purpose were dissemination, then the historical 14-year copyright term would have begun at the date of creation, rather than the date of publication. So clearly that has never been the primary purpose of copyright.

      Hobbyists don't need the incentives of copyright as they're quite happy to spend years writing at their own pace, even if it costs them opportunities, readership, and their own money.

      Again, you couldn't be more wrong. Would I write if my works weren't protected by copyright? Probably not. It's one thing to create things without any guaranteed payoff. It's quite another to create things with a guarantee of no payoff. And that's what you're missing.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    75. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >I get that if someone dies their next of kin should be supported and all,

      I think they shouldn't. What work did they do? (Also, it doesn't really help the next of kin. Did you see how such people with inherited money and power turn out?)

      > I'm certainty not saying IP should be automatically terminated at death,

      Your Copyright cannot benefit the public after your death - you aren't exactly there to produce new works then, are you?

      The only argument I can somewhat support is that with humans being as they are, you could have problems with people hiring hitmen in order to get rid of copyright on stuff. That's the *only* justification I can see to have it not end at your death.

      And I make my living off copyrighted work I write, too.

    76. Re:And that's still too long by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Translation: "I want stuff for free, and I don't want to have to pay for anything. Screw the authors and composers who busted their a**es to create what I'm enjoying."

      Clearly you haven't thought about the consequences of your idea. Because if you thought about it for more than ten seconds, you'd realize that your proposal would make authors and composers hopelessly dependent upon large corporate backers. Without a major corporation handling the advertising and marketing of your works, an average author or composer cannot possibly hope to make enough money in the first five years on just about any work to make ends meet.

      So the inevitable result of your proposal is a creative class of wage slaves, hopelessly beholden to their corporate backers, unable to take risks, unable to truly be creative. Your ideas represent the death of the creativity, and the dawn of a new dark age of humanity, bereft of any inspired works of authorship, a period where mindless drones sit mindlessly in front of a TV set that shows mindless content, the tedious, vacuous pablum of a world of monotony.

      And in music, the result would be even more cacophonous. To compose large musical scores, it can take months. Imagine having to charge enough money for a musical composition that you could earn a living off of only a few large compositions per year. Figure that unless you're backed by a big corporation, you might sell only a few hundred copies in the first five years. Imagine a piece of sheet music costing fifty bucks. Imagine a band music score costing $200. Basically, you're talking about a factor of five to ten increase in the cost of sheet music unless you want composers to all die penniless.

      Somehow, I don't particularly care for your "utopia". Just saying. Suck it up and pay for what you consume.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    77. Re:And that's still too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Twenty years sounds fair to me.

      That's what we already have. It's twenty years from today, every day.

    78. Re:And that's still too long by dingleberrie · · Score: 1

      Obviously not someone who's ever worked at a startup.

      That's what I was thinking. And can you imagine having this risk you took protected by patents for 75+ years?
      Having over 50 patents myself, I'm pretty sure it costs more to get a patent than it does to copyright a work. Lawyers are involved.

      I think the difference is that the movie or song is often not seen as holding back societal progress if it becomes unlicensed.
      It would be nice for my children and grandchildren to be able to collect licence fees from my patents long after I'm dead, but I'd rather live in a society that doesn't do that and instead assigns a reasonable duration to patents.

  6. What I'd like to see... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Media, specifically movies, television shows, music, music videos, and the like, having a 28 year copyright length max. Not books, comic books, e-books, etc. Specifically the media I mentioned. And by this, I mean the actual product. The copyright/trademarks/whatever of the characters, stories, etc. would still be copyrighted. Disney would still have their Mickey Mouse. But I just want the old footage to be released.

    Keep everything the same, but as soon as non-text media ends up being 28 (or fine, 30) years old, just release it!

    1. Re:What I'd like to see... by laurencetux · · Score: 1

      of how about this if a certain IP is so massively valuable then charge say the greater of [10% of the projected profits every year or say 20 million* per year each "character" (10% discount for blocks of 12 related characters)]. basically a Use it or Lose it thing since you would have to sell the media to recoup the possible loss.

      Make a copyright extension a profit for the copyright office

      *this would be the MediaGiant scale it should be an order of magnitude smaller for shops that are an order of magnitude smaller.

    2. Re:What I'd like to see... by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Keep everything the same, but as soon as non-text media ends up being 28 (or fine, 30) years old, just release it!

      It is released already. You can pick up the DVD cheaply from Amazon. I don't see why it would be terribly important for that material to be PD.

    3. Re:What I'd like to see... by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Keep everything the same, but as soon as non-text media ends up being 28 (or fine, 30) years old, just release it!

      It is released already. You can pick up the DVD cheaply from Amazon. I don't see why it would be terribly important for that material to be PD.

      You don't see why it is terribly important to have the freedom not merely to view but to reuse that material after some reasonable span?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  7. And the creators still get screwed by NotSoHeavyD3 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Which given the excuses for this stuff is really telling.(Since the whole "You're stealing from the creators" is one of the arguments you hear about this shit.) So these days you have shit like Hollywood accounting and things like the author of Forrest Gump literally not getting paid royalties for the movie.(Because it supposedly didn't make a profit.) Of course there's the whole thing screwing of musicians by record labels. Basically if you record an album don't expect to get any profits at all. If you make any money it will be off touring. Here's one, just to show how much of a bunch of scum bags they really are. https://www.techdirt.com/artic...

    --
    Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
    1. Re:And the creators still get screwed by DiamondGeezer · · Score: 1

      As opposed to not being entitled to anything ever because the copyright has run out? Is this your argument?

      --
      Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
    2. Re:And the creators still get screwed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the copyright ran out, that means the copyright existed for a period of time, which means your comment of "not being entitled to anything ever" disproves itself.

      Your argument is a strawman anyway. The topic is about unethical copyright extension, not abolishing copyright entirely.

    3. Re:And the creators still get screwed by NotSoHeavyD3 · · Score: 1

      No the argument is this 1. The supposed reason we need Copyright law is to protect creators at the deficit of society to encourage them to create 2. Creators aren't actually being protected anyway 3. Society isn't benefiting since these works are being locked up by people that didn't create them 4. Solution either fix copyright law so creators actually are protected and do benefit or get rid of it so society doesn't get screwed over by having creative works locked up in perpetuity. So pretty much if the law isn't doing what it's supposed to do either fix it or get rid of it.(I mean unless you're ok with all the crazy shit like the stuff I mentioned above or hey why don't I bring up that "Happy Birthday to You" copyright apparently doesn't expire until 2030. It's in the courts right now apparently.)

      --
      Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
    4. Re:And the creators still get screwed by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      The topic is about unethical copyright extension, not abolishing copyright entirely.

      DG has IMNSHO an odd emotional attachment to copyright. He's already made it clear that he thinks it should last lifetimes (IOW pretty much forever) and you should be able to leave it to your kids, and that permitting anything less than this effective perpetuity is stealing from the creator. He appears to see copyright as some sort of natural and thus perpetual right, rather than for what it actually is--a temporary loan from the commons.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    5. Re:And the creators still get screwed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What good is being entitled to something that never reaches you? And not being allowed to try making a profit independent from those who chose to screw you over?

      Say you've written "Forrest Gump" and Hollywood accounting says you don't get a dime for it. Without the copyright screwover, in time you could create a stage play and market that. But since Hollywood now has all the rights to "Forrest Gump", you are no longer allowed to try turning your creation into money independent from Hollywood.

  8. protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Works That Copyright Extension Stole From Us

    So, thieves claim that stealing intellectual property is not theft, but protecting it... is!!!

    1. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Copyright infringement isn't stealing - the legitimate holder of the copyright still has it and is still free to use it however they want, including using it to prosecute infringement. Extended copyright terms do in fact steal from society, using the proper definition of "steal" - members of society are deprived of the means to use those works to build upon them, or to preserve them.

      Please explain in detail how extended terms serve "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" as per the Copyright Clause (in the U.S., anyway). The concept of "limited times" has been deliberately misinterpreted, and was never intended to extend to the creator's entire lifetime, much less 50 years beyond that.

    2. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by DiamondGeezer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Of course, but remember at the bottom of Slashdot is a bunch of whiney parasites who think they are entitled other people's property without paying for it.

      I think the copyright laws in the US need reform, but frankly if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.

      --
      Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
    3. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by itzly · · Score: 1

      if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.

      And if a roadworker builds a new road, I'm sure he'd like his descendants to benefit too.

    4. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

      I think the copyright laws in the US need reform, but frankly if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.

      Your descendants' benefit has nothing to do with why we have copyright. The ONLY reason copyright exists is because it was thought to be good to encourage people to create more that would become part of society's culture and knowledge by giving them a *limited* period of time to exclusively profit from that creation. It was not intended to become a never-ending gravy train for the creator and his heirs.

      Why is it considered fair to limit patents to 20 years, but not copyrights?

      --
      Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    5. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by S.O.B. · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Copyright infringement isn't stealing - the legitimate holder of the copyright still has it and is still free to use it however they want, including using it to prosecute infringement. Extended copyright terms do in fact steal from society, using the proper definition of "steal" - members of society are deprived of the means to use those works to build upon them, or to preserve them.

      Yes, copyright infringement is stealing. If you get the use or enjoyment of something that normally costs money then you have deprived the copyright holder of that money. So if depriving society of free access to movies due to copyright extensions is, by your own admission, stealing then depriving the current copyright holder of the fee required to view or use those very same works is also stealing.

      I know logic probably escapes you but in both cases A deprives B of C. So if in one case it's stealing then it's stealing in both cases.

      --
      Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.
    6. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by StillAnonymous · · Score: 1

      Yeah, this is poorly worded. It's more like contraction violation, or perhaps fraud. Theft doesn't fit here.

    7. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by tepples · · Score: 1

      Please explain in detail how extended terms serve "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" as per the Copyright Clause (in the U.S., anyway).

      The Supreme Court has ruled that "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" actually means "To attempt to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts". As a rule, the Court defers to Congress in determining what "promote[s] the Progress". This means that the revision history of the Copyright Term Extension Act shall be sufficient to answer your question.

    8. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Of course, but remember at the bottom of Slashdot is a bunch of whiney parasites who think they are entitled other people's property without paying for it.

      I think the copyright laws in the US need reform, but frankly if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.

      All well and good until they get sued for infringement.

      The perpetual copyright movement has some interesting ties with patent trolling. The playaz are setting the table, and the lawsuits are next.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    9. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by tepples · · Score: 1

      Why is it considered fair to limit patents to 20 years, but not copyrights?

      I expect that the answer relates to two of the traditional safety valves that apply to copyrights and not patents, namely fair use and ineligibility of ideas.

    10. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 1

      Yes, copyright infringement is stealing.

      Factually incorrect.Copyright infringement and theft have completely different legal definitions and different laws apply to each.

      You're starting off on a false premise, and using mathy-looking letter variables doesn't make your logic any less sloppy.

    11. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 2

      I think the copyright laws in the US need reform, but frankly if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.

      So sell your book within a reasonable copyright term and give your descendants the money. Problem solved.

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
    12. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Copyright infringement isn't stealing - the legitimate holder of the copyright still has it and is still free to use it however they want, including using it to prosecute infringement. Extended copyright terms do in fact steal from society, using the proper definition of "steal" - members of society are deprived of the means to use those works to build upon them, or to preserve them.

      Yes, copyright infringement is stealing. If you get the use or enjoyment of something that normally costs money then you have deprived the copyright holder of that money. So if depriving society of free access to movies due to copyright extensions is, by your own admission, stealing then depriving the current copyright holder of the fee required to view or use those very same works is also stealing.

      I know logic probably escapes you but in both cases A deprives B of C. So if in one case it's stealing then it's stealing in both cases.

      No, copyright infringement isn't stealing. Copyright is under 17 USC, theft is under 18 USC. Two different parts of US Code, enforced differently.

    13. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by MrKevvy · · Score: 1

      I borrowed a book from a friend and read it. I got the use of something that costs money without paying for it. By your "logic"... I stole it?

      Your "logic" sucks rather badly.

      --
      -- Insert witty one-liner here. --
    14. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by X.25 · · Score: 1

      I think the copyright laws in the US need reform, but frankly if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.

      So would the guy who made the bench that people sit on in the park, every day, for past 50 years.

    15. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by S.O.B. · · Score: 1

      I borrowed a book from a friend and read it. I got the use of something that costs money without paying for it. By your "logic"... I stole it?

      Your "logic" sucks rather badly.

      I was talking about copyright infringement not fair use (i.e. borrowing a book) which by definition is not copyright infringement so no, I'm not saying you stole it.

      If you read my post and concluded that I equated copyright infringement with fair use then I think you have the problem with logic.

      --
      Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.
    16. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by S.O.B. · · Score: 1

      Yes, copyright infringement is stealing.

      Factually incorrect.Copyright infringement and theft have completely different legal definitions and different laws apply to each.

      You're starting off on a false premise, and using mathy-looking letter variables doesn't make your logic any less sloppy.

      It might not have been clear but the person I was responding to said that copyright extensions were "stealing" society but copyright infringement wasn't stealing. I was merely pointing out their sloppy logic that if one of them was an act of theft then they were both an act of theft. I know legally that copy infringement is not theft however, the copyright holder makes less money as a result of the infringement which is why it has the appearance of theft. Of course how much money is lost is the great debate that no one can ever truly settle.

      I'm sorry you found the "mathy-looking letter variables" overwhelming but they were simply used for conciseness. Here's a more wordy version that should be more to your liking.

      I know logic probably escapes you but in both cases a person deprives another person of something. So if in one case it's stealing then it's stealing in both cases.

      --
      Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.
    17. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by BoberFett · · Score: 1

      Your descendants can benefit from it. Sell copies of your book, then invest your money like everybody else that has to continue working over and over again to continue getting paid. Why do you believe you're so special that you should be able to work once, and then you and your progeny get paid indefinitely?

    18. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      "Fair use" has a definition of which you are apparently unaware. Fair use is about content.

      And MrKevvy just took your assertion to its logical conclusion. You don't get off by saying, "But everybody knows..."

      "What everybody knows" is not under discussion. Your assertion is.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    19. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the copyright laws in the US need reform, but frankly if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.

      How about not blowing your entire income then? That's the customary way of letting your descendants benefit from your work.

      If you are thinking of your works as being some sort of life insurance equivalence, 20 years after publication will serve that purpose quite well. Don't forget: if you happen to drop dead unexpectedly, you will not be using up any of the income created after your death yourself.

      I find it perfectly acceptable to not tie the copyright span to the lifespan of the author at all. That way publishers know exactly what they are bargaining for, and authors know exactly what they are selling.

      The author of the great hit "Bei mir bistu shein" was tricked into signing over the copyright for the whole containing opera for something like $20. After 25 years, the original copyright ran out and he registered the extension. That way he at least finally got some share in the windfall his work had created.

      With the current laws, he'd have been screwed for life, and so would his heirs have been. By the time copyright would have expired, there would nobody have been left who could have tried marketing his blood connection to Sholom Secunda by putting out arrangements under the name "Secunda".

    20. Re:protecting intellectual property is... theft?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I build websites for people. Can I claim copyright and force every client I have to pay me for the duration of copyright terms?

  9. It is sad... by Karmashock · · Score: 3

    As much as piracy is difficult to justify. It is rulings like this that make it hard to ultimately argue against.

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    1. Re:It is sad... by Shados · · Score: 1

      Most of the resources going against piracy are to fight day 1 release (or before) piracy though.

      If you had a magical wand, and told the big corps: "100% of people who piracy your stuff before or during the first 2 weeks after release will get caught and get the death penalty. For the rest of 1 year, current copyright laws apply, and we have a magical way to catch everyone who so. After 1 year, the shit is public domain".

      They'd probably take that deal. The crazy copyright extensions is just them taking what they can get.

    2. Re:It is sad... by Karmashock · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not really. Mickey Mouse would be public domain. Think about that.

      Besides, I've talked to a lot of these MPAA guys personally. They're completely fanatical.

      Their attitude is "our contract says we can do this, so those are our rights and anyone that violates them is a criminal." - period.

      You know those crazy ads where they compare piracy to automotive theft or bank robbery? The people driving this along felt those ads were too mellow. They wanted to go farther with it.

      You have no idea. They are as closed minded and intolerant as a 15th century cardinal. You cross the line and they're going to say "burn them".

      While I agree nearly all the effort goes into zero day... that is because everything becomes more nebulous after that point and they make the most money off of zero day releases. So that is why they do that. But if you think they don't care about their legacy licenses you are kidding yourself. In their view, that stuff is worth billions. Telling them a certain amount of it is going to go public domain is like telling someone that a certain amount of their bank account is going to vanish. They're totally unwilling to move on the issue. They are not going to compromise on anything.

      The only way forward is to let the old fire brands die... literally from old age in most cases and be replaced by more realistic members.

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    3. Re:It is sad... by FritzTheCat1030 · · Score: 1

      "As much as piracy is difficult to justify"

      It's not difficult at all, actually. The U.S. Constitution is pretty clear on what the purpose of copyright is. The protections afforded to creators of artistic works are granted for a LIMITED time...not for free, but in exchange for an agreement from the creators that their works will enter the public domain at the end of that time. The content industry has made it abundantly clear that they have no intentions whatsoever in honoring their end of the bargain. As such, the public has ABSOLUTELY no moral obligation continue to respect their "rights".

    4. Re:It is sad... by tepples · · Score: 1

      As such, the public has ABSOLUTELY no moral obligation continue to respect their "rights".

      Then the public ought to vote in a Congress that will patch copyright to make it behave closer to its purpose.

    5. Re:It is sad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some of these fanatics even consider it a crime to pickpocket someone's Android phone while they're eating at a mall.

      As if the so-called victims had anything - ANYTHING - at all to do with the design, manufacture, or distribution of the phone!

    6. Re:It is sad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In their view, that stuff is worth billions.

      Then tax them on it. At W2 income rates. They now own a ten billion dollar mouse? Great, $3,500 million in federal taxes please. Your state and local municipalities will be contacting you to assess their income/property taxes as well. EIther it is protected by law, and taxable, or it's not. Enough with the hypocrisy.

    7. Re:It is sad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha......

      Can't bother to login for this.

    8. Re: It is sad... by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      taxes do not exist on wealth and likely never will.

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    9. Re: It is sad... by stjobe · · Score: 1

      More's the pity. It seems to work rather well in those countries that do have it.

      Although, to be fair, those are social democratic countries, not ultra-capitalist like the U.S.

      --
      "Total destruction the only solution" - Bob Marley
    10. Re: It is sad... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      Although, to be fair, those are social democratic countries, not ultra-capitalist like the U.S.

      The US is ultra-fascist, not ultra-captialist. The cost of regulations (according to economists) adjusts the natural progression of wages from a purchasing-power adjusted $113K/yr to $42K/yr median. With the delta, Americans think they purchase "safety" (nets, from terrists, etc.)

      You can imagine just how awful bad the US economy would be (and the health of charities) if the median income was $113K/yr. Talk about a capitalist dystopia!

      Oh, and the War on Poverty hasn't made a single digit improvement in 60 years. Let's keep doing that too!

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
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    11. Re: It is sad... by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...

      Actually they've generally failed everywhere and every economy that has really tried them has found them to be ineffective and impractical to manage.

      Ultimately what starts happening is that you discourage people from having traceable assets. Cash becomes more common as well as putting money into things that are difficult to track. You get lots of off shore accounts etc. It is a dumb practice and pretty much every economy knows it.

      In regards to the US, apparently the practice is literally against the constitution. So we're protected from this foolishness at least.

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    12. Re: It is sad... by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      The US is not ultra fascist. There are some fascists in the US but the US itself is not fascist.

      How do you define the term?

      As to regulation and safety... what are you talking about?

      As to the war on poverty, all the wars on abstract concepts fail because they're not wars.

      --
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  10. Copyright should be more like food laws by ciaran2014 · · Score: 2

    To explain the idea of softening copyright laws, I always think of food laws.

    You can make your meals however you like, but once you start distributing them to the public you have a bunch of obligations (no poison, list ingredients and nutrients on package, note the best before date...).

    I see culture similarly. If you write a great song and you don't want people to share it, then the simple solution is to keep it to yourself. Then it's your song. But if you distribute it to the public, it becomes part of society and the people who enjoy the song also have rights to it.

    Taking the analogy any further would lead to silliness but I think it's useful just to dispel the misconception that our society is based on property laws giving absolute rights to the holder.

    --
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  11. Copyright reform. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you haven't done anything with it in 10 years, you lose it.
    If said thing failed commercially, it never counted.

    Hell yes you better believe I would like some figurines 9 years after a movie.
    But if it failed, it would be their loss. Keep something alive, don't let it rot.

    1. Re:Copyright reform. by DiamondGeezer · · Score: 1

      What are you supposed to do with a book to keep it "alive"? Let me guess, you don't pay for other people's stuff because...entitled.

      --
      Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
    2. Re:Copyright reform. by hackwrench · · Score: 1

      If you want to play it that way, considering a lot of copyright holders aren't the people doing the work, and even when it is, have terms for their work that don't apply for most jobs, I'd say there's a lot of entitlement on the part of the so-called owners as well.

    3. Re:Copyright reform. by slinches · · Score: 1

      Hmm... that is a tough one. Maybe you could print and sell new copies? If it's not worth enough to the copyright owner to make a work available to the public, then why not allow it to fall into the public domain after a decade? Maybe someone else will be able to find a way to bring it back to life and extract additional value rather than letting it sit there and fade into obscurity.

      --
      Knowledge Brings Fear
    4. Re:Copyright reform. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

      You want to maintain an entire police state apparatus to "protect" "your" (and I'm sure you didn't come up with anything) imaginary - not actual, mind you - "property," and you have the unmitigated gall to call other people entitled? Wow. Just wow.

      IP is not property. It is not scarce and it is not rivalrous.

      BTW. I write software for a living. Each copy commands high five figures. I do not depend on copyright to make my living, but rather contract law.

    5. Re:Copyright reform. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The concept of public libraries must have you at a boiling point every time you think of it.

    6. Re:Copyright reform. by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

      If you haven't done anything with it in 10 years, you lose it.

      It's better to reinstate the mandatory Copyright (c) YYYY marki have automatic copyright for 10 years, then in the 10th year (not before) allow for an extension of another 10 years application by (1) registering the work with the new Copyright Registry and Escrow Agency, (2) submitting a fully function copy, unencumbered with DRM, watermarks (audio and/or visual and/or otherwise), etc. and (3) paying a fee which will serve as the Intellectual Property Tax for the work, to pay for the system, and any extras will go toward cultural subsidies/programs etc. This will have to be tweaked a bit for situations where there are updates/changes (most commonly with software). A newer/changed/improved work can never "reset the clock" of a previously submitted work.

      --
      When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    7. Re:Copyright reform. by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

      What are you supposed to do with a book to keep it "alive"? Let me guess, you don't pay for other people's stuff because...entitled.

      Main principle: If people keep their stuff to themselves in their basements, it's their business. If they go to town square, climb atop a soap box and start loudly yelling, for everyone to hear (i.e. "publishing") it becomes public. Everyone is entitled to everything that is public (exceptions are e.g. South Africa under Apartheid, etc).

      Special case: some people's loud yelling is deemed to be of benefit. Applying capitalist principles (others would be e.g. artistic), there needs to be a monetary reward for this to happen. This is achieved by enforcing an artificial monopoly on further publishing/making public that which is already public, but "for a limited time". The argument is about what "a limited time" should be in order to reap which level of the benefits while not indefinitely artificially impeding the public access to that which has been published/made public.

      --
      When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    8. Re:Copyright reform. by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      It seems ridiculous that copyright can be used to quash the existence of a version of a work that was once published, but that the creator decided he didn't like.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    9. Re:Copyright reform. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone humourously mentioned David Gerrold earlier (regarding a work started almost 16 years ago, though it would be more like 26 years ago in DG's case)

      His original publications of his first two Chtorr books were redacted by the original publisher, and later restored by his second publisher.

      I do not find it ridiculous that the author's intended work be the only one available for print. Should not David Gerrold have the right to say: I do not want the redacted version being published?

      Of note: It was a series of quotes from a fictional talking head ('Solomon Short' a play on Heinlein's 'Lazarus Long') and homosexual/ bisexual content that was redacted. Does that change your opinion?

      Oh, and I a conservative christian/YEC am arguing that the author's wishes that the un-redacted version be the only one available. Does that affect your opinion?

      Hint: Neither should, but frequently do sadly.

  12. Anything for money government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More and more, the U.S. government does what rich companies and people want, secretly. Killing people in other countries is especially profitable.

    Copyright extension bills were passed with very little public knowledge or discussion.

  13. Pickled brains by pigsycyberbully · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The feature films who would want to watch them anyway? books I can understand that but feature films ZzZzZzZ. can they still earn money from these old films? who watches these! Fantasy cartoons where it is all silliness and happiness that I could understand it relieves stress. I don't understand feature films it's grown-up men playing children's games why is it entertaining why? It's nonsense it's what every child grows out of goody's baddies, doctors and nurses, Cowboys and Indians, and so on. Films a waste of two hours sitting on your arse watching nonsense. I really find this difficult to understand I think it is mainly a Indian and U.S. thing? Or maybe not I just literally don't understand it it is silliness.

    1. Re:Pickled brains by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You might be surprised. Have you never seen movie collections in store discount bins where you get 50 old movies for $20? How do you think they can do this? It's because the copyright on all those old movies has expired or was forgotten (eg. Night of the Living Dead)

  14. My Life is Not My Own by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The entire background of my existence is copyrighted. A biopic about me without copyright payouts would need to be a silent movie, shot against a blank screen.

  15. When has COPYRIGHT Stopped Anyone Here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously! You don't like it, MOVE! Or just steal the shit already! Cat on a hot tin roof. Rusted!

  16. No by rsilvergun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    so we can make new works using them. You know, Disney didn't write the story in the Lion King, right? It's an age old story. They don't write _any_ of their own stories (even Lilo and Stitch was just something they bought because they thought they could get 626 toys out of it).

    The idea was that copyright and patents encouraged people to share information so that it wouldn't be lost. The entire point was to get the works into the public domain at some point. We've turned it into a rent seeking scheme. If it started out this way we'd all be paying royalties to some Nords and a few Egyptians who claimed ownership of stone tablets from 200 B.C..

    --
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    1. Re:No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can still make Lion King themed stories. Disney doesn't own the story or idea, they own their movie interpretation of it; just like every other story they've taken and made into a movie.

    2. Re:No by i.r.id10t · · Score: 1

      So if "we" could wave a magic wand and change copyright law *everywhere* to something "we can all live with" what would you suggest?

      Off the top of my head I can think of

      1) Copyright begins with first publication/release/distribution. An upthread example shows a guy working on a trillogy where the first book was done in 2001 and that 20 years would be too short. Although I wonder why he hasn't published the first one or two to see if there is a market for more.... and to get income and a fan base going.

      2) Copyright gives a fixed number of years of protection. Doesn't matter if it is by a corporation/other legal entitity or an individual (or small group of individuals), Doesn't matter how long the owner(s) live or don't live. Lets say it is 50 years - plenty long enough for most commercial use and exploitation, but it gets stuff into "free(er) to use" territory within living memory.

      3) Instead of totally free use that public domain gives, perhaps something along the lines of one of the CC licenses. If Disney grabs $NEXT_BIG_HIT from the pd and creates a hot new princess tale/etc. then that same PD still needs to be available for others to use in the same manner - it can't be locked back up. For software, one of the Free software licenses should work or the FSF should be able to come up with a new one that is acceptable.

      --
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    3. Re:No by Theaetetus · · Score: 1

      The idea was that copyright and patents encouraged people to share information so that it wouldn't be lost. The entire point was to get the works into the public domain at some point.

      Your second sentence is correct, but your first is not. Without patents, the information wouldn't be lost, it would be tied up as trade secrets, forcing every competitor to reinvent the proverbial wheel, rather than simply paying a small royalty to the first inventor and going on to invent the next improvement. Without copyright, art would only be created under patronage systems where the wealthy commission works that they want (since no one would pay artists royalties) with exclusive contracts between the patron and artist preventing the artist from ever making a copy. In addition to restricting the number of works, this would also restrict the number of viewpoints, as only those wealthy patrons' desired works would be created.

    4. Re:No by dryeo · · Score: 1

      For many, perhaps most, inventions they happen when the time is right. One of the most famous examples was the telephone, knowledge had advanced to the point where a telephone was possible and two inventors showed up at the patent office on the same day with another one that week, all having independently invented the telephone. The first one ended up with a huge monopoly (perhaps it was whoever bought the rights) called AT&T whereas the second one was screwed.
      We see the same thing with inventions such as one click shopping or rounded corners on a device. The time was right for the invention and it was going to be invented, but whoever was the most legally savvy gets rewarded for something that has become obvious.
      As for art, even back in the 1700's there were artists who made a very good living touring (or would if they didn't blow it away) as well as those who preferred a patron. And mostly copyright has been manipulated to benefit the publishers, not the artists. Whether through Hollywood type accounting or just offering a lopsided contract to the young artist who just wants to produce art.
      Note that it is the publishers (and others who didn't produce the art like heirs) that push for infinite copyright, not the actual artists who generally just want to produce more art.

      --
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    5. Re:No by westlake · · Score: 2

      Disney didn't write the story in the Lion King, right? It's an age old story. They don't write _any_ of their own stories...even Lilo and Stitch was just something they bought...

      The Lion King is a Broadway musical comedy in animated form, rich in music, drama and spectacle.

      The live stage adaptation would call on to become a legend in its on right. The geek doesn't have the least understanding of all the elements that must come together to make a theatrical project a success.

      There have been countless productions in all media that draw on the same sources as Disney. It surprises me when the geek has heard of any one of them. It surprises me more when he knows the primary sources and can see their limitations.

      The Brothers Grimm, for example, collected folk tales that had already been hammered into publishable form by a generation of scholars and enthusiasts, and some would be later retrofitted to serve a nationalistic Germanic folk-myth. Philip Pullman translated fifty of his favorites into modern English, averaging a little less than ten pages each. That's fine for the fireside, but it doesn't work for the theater. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version

      The idea was that copyright and patents encouraged people to share information so that it wouldn't be lost.

      The idea was to encourage the production of something new --- something that would in the end eclipse the old, a real advance and not a trivial derivative. The geek in 2015 is still willing to put enormous effort into an literal, slavish, fan remake of the fifty-year old Star Trek: TOS.

      If you are in the market for something new and less pretentious in space opera, you have to look to Marvel and Disney ---- who could and did take an obscure funny animal character and make him into something far more interesting and entertaining than a Wookie, an Ewok or a Jar-Jar Binks

    6. Re:No by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1
      I can't tell if you don't understand copyright or if I'm not understanding what you're trying to say.

      Copyright begins with first publication/release/distribution. An upthread example shows a guy working on a trillogy where the first book was done in 2001 and that 20 years would be too short.

      Being part of a series has absolutely no effect on copyright. If the first book in a series is published in 2001 and the last book in the series is published in 2021, the copyright for the first book will expire in 2001 + X and the copyright on the last book will expire in 2021 + X. There is no copyright on the series; each book has an independent copyright.

      If Disney grabs $NEXT_BIG_HIT from the pd and creates a hot new princess tale/etc. then that same PD still needs to be available for others to use in the same manner - it can't be locked back up.

      This is already true. Copyright covers a specific creative expression (e.g. book, movie, etc.). You can't copyright an idea or basic story. If you want to take the original story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and make a movie from it, you aren't infringing Disney's copyright if your movie doesn't contain anything that was added by Disney to their version of the movie.

    7. Re:No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Disney didn't write the story in the Lion King, right? It's an age old story. They don't write _any_ of their own stories...even Lilo and Stitch was just something they bought...

      The Lion King is a Broadway musical comedy in animated form, rich in music, drama and spectacle.

      The live stage adaptation would call on to become a legend in its on right. The geek doesn't have the least understanding of all the elements that must come together to make a theatrical project a success.

      Who the hell do you think takes part in and runs the AV gear for those shows? Theater geeks are people and geeks too ya know. And the Lion King is based on Kimba, the White Lion, with shot for shot scene stolen directly from it. The play is just a generic show themed with Lion King crap for marketing - a reskin, if you will.

    8. Re:No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dgatwood is a first time author, it seems, trying to break into the industry. I fully support his endeavors, and it's not an uncommon mistake for a first timer to not publish work when it's ready. With trilogies (especially) it can be difficult to gauge reader reaction if you don't have all three books available. Trilogies are kind of expected to release all-at-once as well, otherwise it's a three part series.

    9. Re:No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your understanding of copyright is laughable, kiddo. You are essentially stating that cave art doesn't exist, or doodles in schoolkids' notebooks do not exist.

      An artist can definitively know another artist simply by their understanding of copyright. You are clearly not an artist, as your mind does not work like one, and cannot grasp why you would create for no profit.

  17. This is what I suggest by jones_supa · · Score: 1

    I am fine with copyright extension if there is a company which actively maintains the IP. Such as Disney protecting Mickey Mouse (they still even create new content with features Mickey). However if no one is actively taking care of the copyright and not providing a way to distribute it, then there could be a timeout of decade or two.

    1. Re:This is what I suggest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All that will do is allow companies like Disney vacuum up dead works. This is precisely what these mega media corporations are trying to push through the US and EU via bribes.

  18. What about software? by jones_supa · · Score: 1

    This discussion is usually centered around movies, music and books, but what do you think about software and video games?

    For example, should Quake 1 (1996) be public domain? The source code is libre already, but the art assets are still sold in Steam.

    What about Windows XP which was released 2001, but was still actively maintained till 2013?

    1. Re:What about software? by Greyfox · · Score: 1

      MS DOS, Windows 3.1, NT, OS/2 and Linux are all close-to or past that 20 year mark too. IIRC (It's been a REALLY long time) I started playing with Linux in '95 or '96. Not to mention a lot of the more moldy older UNIXes, VMS, the IBM mainframe OSes, etc.And of course the fan fiction I wrote about a homoerotic encounter between Captain Picard and Q, which you can still find on the internet if you dig around a bit!

      --

      I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  19. "Stole" from us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you can't beat them - by saying copyright infringement is not stealing - then... join them by saying copyright itself is stealing?

    Yakety Yak wasn't 'stolen' from us, and there's plenty of versions of it that must be flagrantly flaunting copyright and not being targeted, unless anybody honestly believes they're all properly licensed;
    https://www.youtube.com/result...

    Just as downloading a copy of a song that you technically don't have the rights to download isn't 'stealing', them saying that you technically don't have the rights to download it isn't stealing.

    1. Re:"Stole" from us by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Just as downloading a copy of a song that you technically don't have the rights to download isn't 'stealing', them saying that you technically don't have the rights to download it isn't stealing.

      The content creator used, let's say, $20,000 to make the work. His balance is now -$20,000. This amount he expects to recoup with sales, and ideally also get some profit. So let's say he could earn $30,000, ending up with a balance of $10,000.

      Which option do you think makes the creator more likely to see his commercial art as feasible deal: that we pay properly for each copy, or that we just freeload it chanting how "it's not stealing".

    2. Re:"Stole" from us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about a middle of the road argument? If I own and have never fiscally disposed of a copy of a work (perhaps I downloaded it from the artist's website in the day as a free download), say Al Yankovich's "Don't Download This Song" from 'Straight Outta Lynwood', why should I be punished for downloading it from The Pirate Bay last year?

      So, how about once you purchase a copy and still own it you can obtain it in unsubstantially changed form from other sources for no more than media costs? So, downloading a pdf of a book I own would be OK, but downloading an audiobook would not be (unless I owned that audiobook)

    3. Re:"Stole" from us by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Sounds fair to me.

    4. Re:"Stole" from us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a professional content creator, who makes a very good living at doing just that, I can safely say that no book, short film, novel, animation, or video game that I've ever made has cost even CLOSE to $20,000. Some projects I have invested upwards of $5,000, but those were labors of love, and I still made nearly a quarter million with them.

      The only creative endeavors that cost a lot of money are corporate driven, and they have to pay a lot of creative people to achieve that work. If you're an artist and you're spending $20,000 on something for your art.... you are most likely an idiot.

  20. Not quite correct by vikingpower · · Score: 2

    The works of the famous painter Mondriaan will fall into the public domain as per February 1, this year.

    --
    Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
    1. Re:Not quite correct by tepples · · Score: 2

      United States copyright in works published prior to 1978 is reckoned not from the death of the author but from first publication. Mondrian's paintings prior to Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, and Grey (1923) were already in the public domain under the 75-year rule that was in effect prior to 1998. Copyright in that painting won't expire under the new 95-year rule until 2019.

  21. Generic drugs; intellectual property tax by tepples · · Score: 1

    Twenty years from first publication might be reasonable, but it is still problematic for works of fiction, because it is a short enough period of time that a film studio wanting to make a movie would be sorely tempted to wait out the copyright rather than paying the author for the use of his or her work.

    That's not been shown to be problematic for pharmaceuticals, where companies routinely wait out the patent before producing a generic drug.

    For example, you might set a twenty year limit for works for hire, but make the duration be 75 years for copyright owned by individuals.

    Then companies would just structure their deals to, say, assign copyright in a film to the film's director but then exclusively license the copyright back to the studio.

    Or you might require the copyright to be renewed every fifteen years at 1% of the property's total gross revenue

    If copyrights are "intellectual property", then tax them like property. Have each copyright owner self-assess the value of his works, and levy a tax on that value. To prevent publishers from avoiding tax by lowballing the value, let people crowdfund the donation of each work to the public domain by paying this value to the copyright owner.

    1. Re:Generic drugs; intellectual property tax by dgatwood · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Twenty years from first publication might be reasonable, but it is still problematic for works of fiction, because it is a short enough period of time that a film studio wanting to make a movie would be sorely tempted to wait out the copyright rather than paying the author for the use of his or her work.

      That's not been shown to be problematic for pharmaceuticals, where companies routinely wait out the patent before producing a generic drug.

      That's a completely different situation, because both the patent holder and the generic drug maker are on roughly equal footing in terms of their ability to exploiting the property. A drug company can make a drug and can market it readily; that's what they do. An individual who writes a book cannot realistically make a movie version of that book, because A. they don't have that kind of money, and B. they are not likely to have the required skill set.

      For example, you might set a twenty year limit for works for hire, but make the duration be 75 years for copyright owned by individuals.

      Then companies would just structure their deals to, say, assign copyright in a film to the film's director but then exclusively license the copyright back to the studio.

      By definition, any permanent license is a work for hire. So no, they couldn't do precisely that. However, the law would need to specify a maximum contract duration beyond which those limits kick in so that companies wouldn't license it for [lifetime of copyright minus one day].

      If copyrights are "intellectual property", then tax them like property [wikipedia.org]. Have each copyright owner self-assess the value of his works, and levy a tax on that value. To prevent publishers from avoiding tax by lowballing the value, let people crowdfund the donation of each work to the public domain by paying this value to the copyright owner.

      It would be far easier to simply tax the past income from the work as part of the copyright fees. Actual income tends to be a good indicator of the value of a work.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  22. Anchor book by tepples · · Score: 1

    Media, specifically movies, television shows, music, music videos, and the like, having a 28 year copyright length max. Not books, comic books, e-books, etc. Specifically the media I mentioned.

    So what happens when a movie's copyright expires but copyright in the underlying script (a book) and in the printed sheet music (also a book) has not?

    The copyright/trademarks/whatever of the characters, stories, etc. would still be copyrighted. Disney would still have their Mickey Mouse. But I just want the old footage to be released.

    It'd still be illegal to make and distribute copies of "the old footage" because distribution would infringe the copyright in the book on which "the old footage" was based. This is how copyright in the film It's a Wonderful Life was restored, through discovery of copyrights in the underlying short story ("The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern) and the musical score. In the case of the Mickey Trilogy (Plane Crazy, The Gallopin' Gaucho, and Steamboat Willie), the book would be the storyboard, which would be classified as a "comic book". If you try to give different copyright terms to different media yet keep the concept of derivative works, you'll end up having lawyers come up with an "anchor book" for each work that isn't a book.

    1. Re:Anchor book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let my clarify with an example.

      Back to the Future Part I is over 28 years old. That movie itself that came out in 1985 would lose copyright in my idea. So, if you wanted to rip a DVD and put it out on the Internet, that'd be legal. Television networks, think those digital subchannels, would be able to show it without having to pay for it. Etc.

      The script itself would not be public domain. So, if someone took that specific script and tried doing something with it, it would still be under copyright. If someone wanted to REMAKE the movie using that script, that would NOT be allowed. If someone saw the movie and thought, "Maybe I should remake this movie?", that would NOT be allowed. What would be public domain would be the video media itself. Not the storyline, etc. Just the bits that make up the movie. Under no circumstances would anything else be allowed.

      Another example. A comic book made into a movie. Yes, if the movie is 28+ years old in my idea, then that is public domain. The specific media itself. The comic book may still be copyrighted. What does this mean? It means you can rip the movie/music and do whatever with it. You cannot remake the movie (the storyline) until the other copyright expires.

      I don't know how to make this more straightforward. I am speaking of a specific media, music, music videos, and videos. Nothing else. Not comics. Not books. Not books stored on DVDs. Not comic book collections stored on DVDs. Just the video and/or music of something. Being public domain does not give permission for anyone to remake something for this 28 year thing. All it does is release the specific media to the public domain. Not the storyline/idea/whatever. Those things come later, maybe 50-70 years later.

    2. Re:Anchor book by tepples · · Score: 1

      I sort of understand what you're proposing. I just don't know how it can be made unambiguous within the framework of current law. If you bleep out a swear word or cut a scene to satisfy FCC regulations, is it an infringing derivative of the original script? If you transcribe the script from a copy of the video, then you have no "access" to the original script as it was published; is this transcription an infringing derivative?

    3. Re:Anchor book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lawyers drafting such a bill would have to work that out.

  23. Song of the South by tepples · · Score: 1

    What are you supposed to do with a book to keep it "alive"?

    At a minimum, continue to offer newly manufactured copies to the public. Don't be like Disney with Song of the South.

  24. Authors designated by law by tepples · · Score: 1

    How does this work when there are hundreds of people working on a project, like a film?

    Some media have particular contributors that legislation designates as "authors", such as the film's director. (Source) And in practice, films tend to be derivative works, which bring in copyrights licensed from its screenwriter and the composer of its score.

    Also, what constitutes "death"? What happens if a member of the crew is cryogenically preserved and later brought back to life? Does copyright get reinstated?

    This is a moot point until resuscitation from cryogenic sleep becomes confirmed. Walt Disney was cremated, not frozen.

    And what happens if people stop dying?

    Then you get a situation like that of the short story "Melancholy Elephants" by Spider Robinson, where influential authors go public with the fact that they fear accidentally infringing.

    1. Re:Authors designated by law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, what constitutes "death"? What happens if a member of the crew is cryogenically preserved and later brought back to life? Does copyright get reinstated?

      And what happens if people stop dying

      The correct answer to both of those questions is:

      The copyright will run out regardless of any of those circumstances. Why? Because it's NOT the purpose of copyright to insure anyone of INDEFINITE income for doing ONE thing.

      Just because you decide to create something does NOT mean humanity owes you for life.

  25. My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringements by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So other poor artists can use them for their own creative works, for example.

    The artists can easily make original content, which would create more interesting art anyway, than some reheated old stuff.

    Until other, more established artists take the poor artists to court, claiming that the purported original content is not in fact original but instead substantially similar to the more established artists' work. Accidental copying is still infringement. Bright Tunes Music v. Harrisongs Music.

  26. This is why I'm OK with "piracy" by thesandtiger · · Score: 1

    We had a deal - those creating works get a period of time to capitalize on those works, after which they go into the public domain, and in exchange for those works being given over to the public, the public agrees to not violate that copyright without facing penalties.

    Most works are no longer being given over to the public domain, therefore it's absurd to punish people for pirating them - a contract has to offer something to both sides.

    WRT to software piracy (specifically games) - DRM put the nail in that coffin for me. When it became easier to install torrented, cracked games on release day than it did to install legally purchased software, I gave up giving a shit.

    That said, contribute to open source (either funds or assistance), and definitely support projects where there isn't an obvious profit motive just the creation of neat tricks.

    --
    Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
  27. Putting the World in World Trade Organization by tepples · · Score: 1

    You don't like it, MOVE!

    Move where? All WTO members have signed the Berne Convention.

  28. GPL vaccine by tippen · · Score: 1

    Good point. Corporations would be free to start incorporating more open-source code into their products since GPL code would start going into public domain. I mean, why should software developers be allowed to rent-seek with their creations? It belongs to the public!

    1. Re:GPL vaccine by catprog · · Score: 1

      In the same way as the closed-sourced code is free to use for open-source projects.

      --
      My Transformation Website
      Kindle Books http://www.catprog.org/rev
      Interactive CYOA http://www.catprog.org/st
  29. Re:My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringement by jones_supa · · Score: 1

    Good point, but avoiding that would require completely removing the copyright system.

  30. All copyright is null and void by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    until mickey mouse becomes public domain.

    Download all you want!

  31. Intellectual property taxes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If that property is so damn valuable that it needs legal protection... then we can tax it to pay for that protection.

    Dont want to pay IP taxes on that crappy B-movie from the 50's?

    Fine, its public domain now.

  32. Screenplay to animation is web scale by tepples · · Score: 1

    An individual who writes a book cannot realistically make a movie version of that book, because A. they don't have that kind of money, and B. they are not likely to have the required skill set.

    I couldn't help but read that in the synthesized tone of "MongoDB is web scale" made with XtraNormal. Anyone who has a computer and can write a screenplay can produce an animated short film. And tools to mark up a screenplay for conversion to an animated film will only get better. Then you can send excessive copyright terms to /dev/null.

    However, the law would need to specify a maximum contract duration beyond which those limits kick in so that companies wouldn't license it for [lifetime of copyright minus one day].

    Or the director could just avoid doubt by exclusively licensing the motion picture to the studio for 20 years. This would be long enough for the theatrical release, the current home video format, and the next home video format, after which point the copyright reverts to the director.

    1. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by dgatwood · · Score: 2

      I couldn't help but read that in the synthesized tone of "MongoDB is web scale" made with XtraNormal. Anyone who has a computer and can write a screenplay can produce an animated short film that no one will watch. And tools to mark up a screenplay for conversion to an animated film will only get better, so you can make even better animated shorts that no one will watch.

      FTFY. :-)

      Just in case anybody reads your comment and assumes that you're being serious (I'm pretty sure you aren't), here's an idea of the magnitude of effort involved....

      I once created a feature-length movie from script to finished product. Writing the script was maybe 5% of the effort. When I finished with that, I began location scouting and casting. Fortunately, I had ready access to a number of shooting locations that met most of my needs, so that part was relatively tame.

      After shooting began, I had to find times when all of the cast members for each scene were available, and the location was also available. The more people involved in a scene, the crazier that got. Add in a few horses, or a scene at a hospital ER (shot at something like 2 in the morning), or police officers doing a drive-by and arresting one of the cast members (for a scene, not for real), and even a relatively straightforward production with minimal effects gets complicated pretty quickly.

      But it gets better when you find yourself having to adapt to changing schedules, as cast members' bosses change their work schedule from week to week. Been there, done that.

      When shooting is done, then you get to spend time editing, adding special effects, composing a film score, and recording the music. If you don't have the skills to do all of these things yourself, you'll probably have to pay other people to do them. On an author's income, that's not easy.

      The bottom line is that if you already have extensive TV production experience, and if you and at least two other people can devote a minimum of two months full-time to the project (through the end of principal photography), and if you have a dozen friends who can act and don't have full-time jobs that limit your shooting schedule and don't want a huge chunk of money in exchange for acting, then it is marginally feasible to make a movie version of a book that doesn't involve any special effects.

      So although I can think of (a few) authors who could pull off turning their books into feature films, not many of them are crazy enough to make the attempt. :-)

      However, the law would need to specify a maximum contract duration beyond which those limits kick in so that companies wouldn't license it for [lifetime of copyright minus one day].

      Or the director could just avoid doubt by exclusively licensing the motion picture to the studio for 20 years. This would be long enough for the theatrical release, the current home video format, and the next home video format, after which point the copyright reverts to the director.

      The problem with that idea is that there's no feasible way for something involving hundreds of people to not be a work for hire unless you can quantitatively determine what percentage of the copyright every single crew member, cast member, and extra should get. Such a scheme would also effectively mean that the work in question could never be commercially exploited after the period ends anyway, because you'd never get all of those hundreds of people to agree to a new license.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    2. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so you can make even better animated shorts that no one will watch.

      When I finished with that, I began location scouting and casting. The more people involved in a scene, the crazier that got. Add in a few horses, or a scene at a hospital ER (shot at something like 2 in the morning), or police officers doing a drive-by and arresting one of the cast members (for a scene, not for real), and even a relatively straightforward production with minimal effects gets complicated pretty quickly.

      But it gets better when you find yourself having to adapt to changing schedules, as cast members' bosses change their work schedule from week to week. Been there, done that.

      When shooting is done, then you get to spend time editing, adding special effects, composing a film score, and recording the music. If you don't have the skills to do all of these things yourself, you'll probably have to pay other people to do them.

      All I heard was "blah blah I'm a terrible producer who relies on actors with day jobs blah". If you hire an actor, you are their boss. Not the TGIF lunch shift manager. If you aren't paying enough for someone to stop waiting tables, then you aren't really hiring anyone.

      Everything else in there has absolutely nothing to do with the OP's comment on "short animated films". There is no location scouting needed beyond a trip to the travel and arts section of a bookstore, much less google images. If Disney and Pixar can manage to have actors record one at time and make it work twenty years ago, you ought to be able to pull it off today on a Surface Pro or a Mac Book. Live interplay and riffing can be fun, but it's not part of a script.

      Hell, Buddy Aimes (sp?) literally phoned in his lines for an episode of the animated Dungeons and Dragons show - from a PAY PHONE almost 30 years ago. More money and better tech is better of course, but none of it is necessary or as useful as a clear conception form start to finish.

      Frankly, every movie looking to meet budget SHOULD be done in something like this first. Jodorowsky had it down 40 years ago before computers were even a thing:
      http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/

      As for copyright attribution, "everybody drops, everybody fights" is a workable meme. Why should the toiler cleaner be paid less than the lead? I know which role I'd prefer if the pay was even. Call it commie and assign copyright on some pro-rated version if you want, but give everyone a dutch or other auction right to sell/buy shares of the copyright, first refusal etc. One sided take it or leave it asymmetrical contracts are what leaves actors needing day jobs so they can't be at your beck and call for scale wages - something you seem to decry, in the first place.

    3. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Or the director could just avoid doubt by exclusively licensing the motion picture to the studio for 20 years. This would be long enough for the theatrical release, the current home video format, and the next home video format, after which point the copyright reverts to the director.

      You realize that the director doesn't hold copyright, right? The writers do - they wrote the story! Or they created a derivative story from another story (e.g., movie based on a book), which means part of the copyright is owned by the original author.

      Then there's the photographer's right - copyright is owned by the "fixer" of the creative work - the one who puts the work onto media. A writer does it by putting pen to paper (or keys to word processor). A singer does it by recording it to audio tape. A photographer/filmmaker does it by exposing film.

      And there's all the other works contained within a movie - the music score, for example. THat one is ESPECIALLY tricky because those are licensed as a whole - the orchestra signs over their rights for a fixed fee for limited uses.

    4. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      The problem with that idea is that there's no feasible way for something involving hundreds of people to not be a work for hire unless

      You mean like the Linux kernel which has thousands of contributors, a massive, shared copyright and is not a work for hire?

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    5. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by tepples · · Score: 1

      Some patches accepted into Linux were developed by employees of Red Hat in the course of their employment. This means Linux is in part a work made for hire, and parts of its "massive, shared copyright" will expire on the work made for hire schedule.

    6. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice. I didn't quite make a feature length film, it was about 55 minutes long. And it only required one physical actor, the rest was CG I modelled in various 3d modeling programs. I ended up $265k on top after I released it on the internet though :) Don't give up on your dreams.

    7. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      All I heard was "blah blah I'm a terrible producer who relies on actors with day jobs blah". If you hire an actor, you are their boss. Not the TGIF lunch shift manager. If you aren't paying enough for someone to stop waiting tables, then you aren't really hiring anyone.

      Nobody said I hired anyone. I was talking about indie film production, which often involves unpaid cast to hit a very low budget. In short, I was describing the reality of authors who try to make movies of their own books, explaining why it isn't all that practical. Yes, if the author has money to burn, and can pay the cast $30 an hour, that author won't run into that. Then again, if an author has that kind of money, his or her books are popular enough that they'll routinely get optioned by a major studio anyway.

      Everything else in there has absolutely nothing to do with the OP's comment on "short animated films".

      Correct. Unlike that comment, I live in reality, where short animated films are excrement that nobody watches for more than about twenty seconds. I think I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than watch an entire book in the form of an animated film with robotic voices.

      Besides, animated movies are great for children's stories, but are pretty much doomed to obscurity for most serious subjects. For example, I can only think of one animated sci-fi film, Titan AE, and its box office gross was something like half its budget. Most people see animated movies as being mainly for kids and people with kids. You won't get past that stigma easily.

      Okay, the South Park movie, but that's the exception that proves the rule....

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    8. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      The problem with that idea is that there's no feasible way for something involving hundreds of people to not be a work for hire unless...

      You mean like the Linux kernel which has thousands of contributors, a massive, shared copyright and is not a work for hire?

      Now try getting all those people to agree to license the Linux kernel commercially under a non-GPL license. Go ahead. I'll wait.

      I reiterate that previous statement, with a slight clarification:

      The problem with that idea is that there's no feasible way for a commercial work involving hundreds of people to not be a work for hire unless you can quantitatively determine what percentage of the copyright every single crew member, cast member, and extra should get. Such a scheme would also effectively mean that the work in question could never be commercially exploited after the period ends anyway, because you'd never get all of those hundreds of people to agree to a new license.

      where "commercial work" is defined as a work sold by a company, rather than being given away for free.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    9. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "and if you have a dozen friends who can act and don't have full-time jobs that limit your shooting schedule and don't want a huge chunk of money in exchange for acting,"

      Why the fuck would you exploit your friends' talents in this way?

      Abyssal.

    10. Re:Screenplay to animation is web scale by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Besides, animated movies are great for children's stories, but are pretty much doomed to obscurity for most serious subjects. For example, I can only think of one animated sci-fi film, Titan AE, and its box office gross was something like half its budget. Most people see animated movies as being mainly for kids and people with kids. You won't get past that stigma easily.

      Okay, the South Park movie, but that's the exception that proves the rule....

      Titan AE - I liked it and Don Bluth animation in general. It went up against Toy Story 2 though, so it was sort of doomed. You can see the wiki entry for it but it was poorly positioned and marketed so I wouldn't blame it being animated for that failure, especially since it was the first (US) digital end to end "film". To say nothing of "Hollywood Accounting" and those shenanigans which claimed Forest Gump made nothing.

      If you are not stuck in the US market, how about anything by Hiyao Miyazaki(sp?)? Even a rehash of Howl's with Billy Crustal (why!?) got $5M here vs$200M overseas. The US market is not the Internet or world market and your 40yo+ views don't reflect the modern world. That said:

      Big Six is in theaters right now and has already grossed $200M here. I would call the Incredibles a sci fi movie as well.
      If you want to call them kids films, how about a little known cgi film called Avatar? Granted there was a bit of live action in it too but that was 90% animated/digital. Quality aside, the Matrix series and Star Wars prequels did ok in the box office tallies too. Those are all mostly animated - certainly they have less live shots than Roger Rabbit had animated content, for example, to show the contra-positive for a couple decades.

      If you want to go back more than a couple decades, how about Wizards?

      If you think animation is only for kids stories and want to somehow exclude computers from being animation, how about Grave of the Fireflies? Probably the saddest movie ever - as if the opening scene of Bambi dragged out over an hour and a half in slow mo - much to my surprise as I got it looking for a high quality animated movie, not expecting the story content I got:
      http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/

      Going back to indie productions... you seemed to outline an incompletely organized and poorly executed production. Of course that's going to suck if you expect people on Wednesday and they don't show up. Your indie may not be able to blow millions on a set that sinks (Waterworld) (twice) but you can still rack up losses via unnecessary expenses like renting a pricey camera but not having the actors show up. For everything else, an animatic should let you cut location shoot time in half. Check out Amazon for Jodorowsky's Dune for an example of how to break it down and that was before PC's and the Internet made creating those things so cheap. Literally under agrand plus the cost of labor.

      If you star is costing you what amounts to a hundred grand an hour, sure flying a crew might be worth it, but otherwise you need to think about how to do great shots inexpensively. You need to wade though a field of wheat? Sure, that's probably cheaper and better to do on site. But how much would it actually cost to bring a few hundred wheat plants (or rent good fakes) into a stage for green screening? Flying to Everest for the mountain climbing scenes? Ben Stiller compromised on Iceland, and only then bc he needed other locations there and had the budget. Everyone else, green screen it on a soundstage or a closer location (Pike's peak in Colorado? Lake Tahoe? The local rocky spot in a park when there is snow? What's cheaper? Permits and fake snow in a public park or waiting til winter?).

      Think outside the box. Hire a remote freelancer at the desired location to rent a 4k+ camera on a weekend with the desired weather and drive around for a day, send you that footage, review it overnight and then give him specific shot direction for the next day. You don't have those contacts? Then you are not a good

  33. Not Sad by Theaetetus · · Score: 0

    "Attack of the 50-foot woman" might be interesting. The problem is that the copyright holder is not showing this movie anywhere - going public domain would fix that.

    Here is the movie on Google Play, and here it is on Amazon streaming. By "not showing this movie anywhere", maybe you meant "not showing this movie anywhere for free"?

    1. Re:Not Sad by tepples · · Score: 2

      By "not showing this movie anywhere", maybe you meant "not showing this movie anywhere for free"?

      Or "not showing in countries not served by Google Play Videos and Amazon Instant Video". Or perhaps "not allowing parodies of the work without an expensive fair use trial".

    2. Re:Not Sad by Mattcelt · · Score: 1

      If I'm not mistaken, most of the excluded countries are so because their copyright laws aren't on par with the United States (according to the mafiAA). So these works might be in the public domain in those places already...

  34. Just as well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sure sounds like the wise US gov is saving the world from a shedload of garbage.

  35. Analogy by tepples · · Score: 1

    Copyright infringement and theft have completely different legal definitions and different laws apply to each.

    Patent infringement and copyright infringement likewise "have completely different legal definitions and different laws apply to each." Yet we use the term "infringement" for both. Using the word "stealing" for prohibited acts other than larceny draws an analogy between those acts and larceny.

    You're starting off on a false premise

    Then explain how the premise is false enough to not even be a good analogy.

    1. Re:Analogy by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 1

      He didn't claim it was an analogy. He claimed that one is the other.

  36. and no one gives a damn. by westlake · · Score: 4

    i refuse to buy books, movies and music anymore

    Then books, movies, and music will continue to be produced and shaped for those who do buy them.

    Disney has been taking chances with projects with serious geek cred like Guardians of the Galaxy and Big Hero 6 and been rewarded handsomely in return. You will excuse me if I share some doubts about the geek's commitment to the boycott.

    1. Re: and no one gives a damn. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's going to pirate them for free. As will I. You keep paying for them though! Keep them making things we can pirate!

    2. Re:and no one gives a damn. by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 3, Interesting

      My consumption is mostly limited to "all you can watch" buffet type services and waiting until the movies are on sale for $5.

      There is a lot of free content being created as well. (Like the harry potter and the methods of rationality, all the youtube videos).

      I am now retired and I literally cannot keep up with all the content being created. So with rare exceptions, I just stay back on the less expensive end of the curve.

      I would estimate that last year I saw a dozen movies for $4.25 on matinee and maybe 3? at full fare (including the hobbit as part of a special marathon showing of all three hobbit movies back to back).

      And I'm slowly reading the original three musketeers in french.

      I think a lot of young people are going to buy things until they come to the same realization I did. I was spending about $60 a week on DVD's back in 2001 and I realized I *wasn't* rewatching them. Since then I've bought 1 DVD and 2 Bluray's. And .. I didn't rewatch them either (one was inception). It's just rare to find something like Moulin Rouge or Silverado that I can watch over and over.

      Another thing that has faded away is actually doing things at the same time as my friends. Until I was 30, we used to do things together and share them. Now it's all asynchronous. No shared social group scene.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    3. Re:and no one gives a damn. by Tanktalus · · Score: 1

      One thing we've noticed is the other side: it's often cheaper to just buy the movie, watch it at home (home-popped popcorn) and throw away the disc afterwards than it is to watch it in the theatre.

      Home movies have gotten so much cheaper than theatres that this is feasible for most movies. We still see the odd one in the theatre, but that has gotten quite rare over the years.

    4. Re:and no one gives a damn. by donaldm · · Score: 1

      One thing we've noticed is the other side: it's often cheaper to just buy the movie, watch it at home (home-popped popcorn) and throw away the disc afterwards than it is to watch it in the theatre.

      Home movies have gotten so much cheaper than theatres that this is feasible for most movies. We still see the odd one in the theatre, but that has gotten quite rare over the years.

      You actually have something there. HDTV's are relatively cheap compared to the original vacuum tube variety that was used for standard definition. Even if you want to buy a 4K HDTV over the now standard 2K (1080p) 15:9 aspect ratio HDTV's you may pay about 10% more. In fact it is possible to set-up a reasonable home theatre (includes HDTV, DVD/BD player, amplifier and speakers) system for under $2000. Of course you could spend ridicules amounts of money on a home theatre system as well.

      If you are into watching movies it is actually cheaper to either rent or if you think you may want to watch the movie again then purchase the Blu-ray. Even if that movie is the latest release and costs say $30 it would still be cheaper to purchase and watch with friends and family than go to a movie theatre.

      --
      There ain't no such thing as proprietary standards only proprietary formats. Standards are by definition open.
    5. Re:and no one gives a damn. by Desty · · Score: 1

      One thing we've noticed is the other side: it's often cheaper to just buy the movie, watch it at home (home-popped popcorn) and throw away the disc afterwards than it is to watch it in the theatre.

      Home movies have gotten so much cheaper than theatres that this is feasible for most movies. We still see the odd one in the theatre, but that has gotten quite rare over the years.

      You actually have something there. HDTV's are relatively cheap compared to the original vacuum tube variety that was used for standard definition. Even if you want to buy a 4K HDTV over the now standard 2K (1080p) 15:9 aspect ratio HDTV's you may pay about 10% more. In fact it is possible to set-up a reasonable home theatre (includes HDTV, DVD/BD player, amplifier and speakers) system for under $2000. Of course you could spend ridicules amounts of money on a home theatre system as well.

      If you are into watching movies it is actually cheaper to either rent or if you think you may want to watch the movie again then purchase the Blu-ray. Even if that movie is the latest release and costs say $30 it would still be cheaper to purchase and watch with friends and family than go to a movie theatre.

      It probably would be cheaper over the long-haul, plus you don't have people standing up in front of you in the middle of the "closure" scene just to beat the queue to get out... argh, so inconsiderate! Also, you can pause it at any point to talk, make tea or go for a piss. And you don't have to spend time and money travelling to/from the theatre and parking. I'm poor so I neither go to the cinema nor have a big home cinema system, but that'll definitely be my preferred choice upon leaving poverty :D

    6. Re:and no one gives a damn. by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      'ER' Derp, Derp, there is are several centuries of content out there more than any one can consume in many lifetimes. Which is of course why the shite head arse holes in pigopolists corporations want extension of copyright. They want to bury that content so that you will buy newly created rehashes of it. They also want to make paying for it compulsory, firstly by paying at the tax office to protect it whether you hate that content or not. Paying as adults when the pigopolists criminalise your children and demand thousands of dollars or your children will go to jail. Steal ideas from the public domain and convert it into copyrighted contented, not just the lousy bits they added to it mind you but also the original ideas from the public domain. Make you pay for it as a licence fee on all recordable media basically as a fee on copyrighted content you created. Make you pay for it running in the background and accidentally added in your content. Never to forget blatantly corrupting (with cash, sex, drugs and rock and roll) the democratic process to feed their insatiable greed.

      There is a little bit more to it that whether or not you see some crappy 'reboot' (seriously what the fuck you marketing asshats) of content that should have returned to the public domain exactly where the ideas come from when originally making it. You are meant to return what you borrowed and reshaped. Not deceitfully attempt to keep it for ever and don't even dream of making your blatantly and continual tax evading claims of not having been already well and truly paid for it. Only the illegal drugs industry would pay lees in taxes than them, of course the two are ever so blatantly intertwined, oh yeah, piracy supports organised crime, uh huh nudge nudge wink wink.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    7. Re:and no one gives a damn. by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      projects with serious geek cred like Guardians of the Galaxy

      Huh? Guardians of the Galaxy has serious geek cred? Seriously?

      OK, I'll admit that my only exposure to the advertising for it has been the half second or so needed to recognise it as "advert" and hit the fast-forward button, but I'd got as far as classifying it under "infants space bang flash American crap." Judging from the hype it's receiving, I don't think that's a far-wrong assessment.

      I suspect that you and I have different meanings for "geek". And for "credibility". And probably "serious" too.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  37. Reverse engineering by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Without patents, the information wouldn't be lost, it would be tied up as trade secrets, forcing every competitor to reinvent the proverbial wheel

    Patents are routinely issued on inventions that are obvious to one skilled in the art of reverse engineering. For example, contributors to FFmpeg have disassembled and documented plenty of video codecs.

    rather than simply paying a small royalty to the first inventor and going on to invent the next improvement

    And in a lot of cases, the royalty isn't "small" at all because the inventor wants to exclude a category of products from the market entirely. Think of when the late Steve Jobs promised that Apple was prepared to go "thermonuclear" on Android.

    Without copyright, art would only be created under patronage systems where the wealthy commission works that they want

    We have working patronage systems now.

    In addition to restricting the number of works, this would also restrict the number of viewpoints, as only those wealthy patrons' desired works would be created.

    It doesn't take "wealthy patrons" to produce a work expressing a viewpoint. Anyone who owns a personal computer and a year of Internet access can self-produce and self-publish a work in plenty of forms, such as the written word, a podcast, an animated video, or even a video game. Net neutrality is in theory orthogonal to copyright, though this is complicated by the co-ownership of XFINITY and NBCUniversal by Comcast.

    1. Re:Reverse engineering by Theaetetus · · Score: 1

      Without patents, the information wouldn't be lost, it would be tied up as trade secrets, forcing every competitor to reinvent the proverbial wheel

      Patents are routinely issued on inventions that are obvious to one skilled in the art of reverse engineering. For example, contributors to FFmpeg have disassembled and documented plenty of video codecs.

      "Obvious to one skilled in the art of reverse engineering" means obvious to someone who has seen the invention, taken it apart, figured out how it works, etc. And duh, once you've studied something in intimate detail, of course it's going to be obvious. That's irrelevant though - the question for patents is whether the invention was obvious at the time of invention, before anyone got to see what the inventor did.

      rather than simply paying a small royalty to the first inventor and going on to invent the next improvement

      And in a lot of cases, the royalty isn't "small" at all because the inventor wants to exclude a category of products from the market entirely. Think of when the late Steve Jobs promised that Apple was prepared to go "thermonuclear" on Android.

      Good point - that's why we don't have any Android devices on the market.

      /posted from my Android tablet

      Without copyright, art would only be created under patronage systems where the wealthy commission works that they want

      We have working patronage systems now.

      Kickstarter is not a patronage system. If it was, then we'd have Neal Stephenson locked in a dungeon.

      In addition to restricting the number of works, this would also restrict the number of viewpoints, as only those wealthy patrons' desired works would be created.

      It doesn't take "wealthy patrons" to produce a work expressing a viewpoint. Anyone who owns a personal computer and a year of Internet access can self-produce and self-publish a work in plenty of forms, such as the written word, a podcast, an animated video, or even a video game.

      Yes, and because they hold copyright in that work, they can charge for copies and prevent others from re-publishing it without paying royalties. If there was no copyright, they'd take that year, self-produce and self-publish, and the next day, everyone would have a copy for free, and they'd have no income from that year of work.
      Or, conversely, as I said, they would have only published that work for their patron, who paid them in advance to create it, under a contract where they couldn't publish it anywhere else. Artists gotta eat, man.

    2. Re:Reverse engineering by tepples · · Score: 1

      Without patents, the information [...] would be tied up as trade secrets

      Patents are routinely issued on inventions that are obvious to one skilled in the art of reverse engineering.

      the question for patents is whether the invention was obvious at the time of invention, before anyone got to see what the inventor did.

      That's the question for patents considered as a reward for invention. It's not the question for patents considered as an alternative to trade secrets. If an inventor would keep an invention as a trade secret, then the secret would be out once a skilled reverse engineer buys the device.

      Kickstarter is not a patronage system. If it was, then we'd have Neal Stephenson locked in a dungeon.

      I don't follow this logical jump. Could you explain further?

      Or, conversely, as I said, they would have only published that work for their patron, who paid them in advance to create it, under a contract where they couldn't publish it anywhere else.

      So as I understand it, your claim is that patents and copyrights are the alternative to the entertainment industry becoming a maze of NDAs that bind the public.

  38. Copyright Term Reduction by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

    Please all note that this mechanism will also allow for copyright term reductions to be applied retro-actively and without compensation to rightsholders!

    --
    When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    1. Re:Copyright Term Reduction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please note that the original extension allowed terms to be applied retroactively and without compensation to the public

      Rightsholders aren't what we should worry about. So what if someone other than disney makes a mickey mouse short? What we should worry about is the people actually making the works, and how well people can enjoy them.

      Now that a rather irrelevant point has been brought up, and countered with another rather irrelevant point, the argument at hand

      In this case, some individuals feel that more is lost due to those works being trapped in copyright, with some of them being hard to find, and harder to get concrete rights to distribute them. The public domain is a resource, from which we get inspiration and entertainment. some use it like we use a thesaurus or dictionary, finding other ways to tell a story. Copyright law in theory is a form of paying people for the eventual addition to the public domain, and inspiring them to make original, interesting, and novel content. The extension of copyrights inhibits the growth of the public domain, which could be considered either our history, or our culture, both of which are rather important, for the sake of monetizing that which would have gone to it.

      I'd rather my culture and history were not tied up in layers of legal paperwork. I'd like the freedom to use it, since in most cases, publishers and distributors have abandoned it. We've proven some people don't need the incentive to create, which is the purpose of the law, because fanfics are uncopyrightable, and still exist in mass volumes. Some are even good, but most are a better love story than twilight.

      Others depend on the income from their work to live off of. I know personally several filkers and other independent artists. And you know what? those people, despite issues with bills, give their work away. Ever listened to a song called "don't download this song"? it's weird al making fun of copyright. "I want my music on Napster" is another song, pointing out the notoriety that could be gained by being on a "illegal pirate" site, or protocol. If artists are protesting the way big industry groups are throwing weight around, maybe the problem is the big groups, and not the artists?

      I argue that individuals are overall decent. They are willing to support things they enjoy. People pay into Patreons for webcomics, donate via paypal. The artists don't make huge sums, but usually it covers the bills. And most of them, they'd try to do it even if it didn't. I've had the good fortune to meet and be friends with several artists, musicians, writers who made their living off their work. Most of them wrote before it made them any money. They hardly expected it to. But it became a career, which let them spend more time letting out the stories inside them. The costs of distributing are going down. We still need some organization, so that works get edited, and edited well. Sure, people want to make money, or at least break even. But most of the ones I knew did it in their free time, till it became the job. So maybe, if you can't make money off your writing, and you don't want to write because of that, you're just doing a job, rather than feeding a passion. And maybe, if the laws change, you should consider a career change. God knows the rest of us have taken a few. Look at what John Ringo used to do, or David Drake.

  39. Re:My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringement by tepples · · Score: 1

    So what's the best option for a poor artist to avoid being bankrupted by such a suit?

  40. Would someone please explain ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

    ... why we should give a shit?

    Copyrighted material is not mine and I don't need it and I am not feeling the sense of entitlement to copyrighted works.

    I am a photographer and I certainly support copyright protection but I don't understand the hysteria over the expiry date issue.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    1. Re:Would someone please explain ... by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      I'm with you. I do see some ridiculous situations regarding to copyrights, but in general I don't see how shortening copyright times is a terribly important battle to fight. For example things like patent hoarding cause much more problems.

    2. Re:Would someone please explain ... by slinches · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The "hysteria" is about a perpetual monopoly on our cultural history. If every piece of art created in our lifetimes is locked down, then we don't have the freedom to create anything new. Everything we do is built upon the ideas of the prior generations that we are exposed to through our culture.

      Ultimately, infinite term IP ownership is unsustainable. Our technological and cultural development will stall. Imagine if someone (ie a corporation or estate) still held the patent on the transistor or the lever. Those companies would control the markets for basically every electrical or mechanical device. Do you think we'd even be able to have this discussion? And why wouldn't the same effect occur with copyright once there's nothing left in the public domain to draw from?

      --
      Knowledge Brings Fear
    3. Re:Would someone please explain ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Patent law and copyright extensions are too dissimilar to support a comparative argument.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    4. Re:Would someone please explain ... by slinches · · Score: 1

      Why? Both cover the specific implementations of ideas and the effort required to work around either is nontrivial. I don't see a compelling reason to dismiss the analogy out of hand.

      --
      Knowledge Brings Fear
    5. Re:Would someone please explain ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      The reason for dismissal is compelling because the analogy breaks down immediately upon casual inspection of the laws regulating both.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    6. Re:Would someone please explain ... by slinches · · Score: 1

      How so? I obviously disagree on that point, so could you explain your reasoning in more detail? What parts of the laws are so fundamentally different that any comparison is inapplicable?

      If there is an obvious difference that I'm not aware of, I could try to come up with a similar argument with copyright directly. I'm just more familiar with the patent side of IP law, so that came to me more naturally.

      --
      Knowledge Brings Fear
    7. Re:Would someone please explain ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      I'm just more familiar with the patent side of IP law, ...

      You are familiar with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and light reading will inform you of the U.S. Copyright Office, and the reason why the analogy breaks down rather quickly.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    8. Re:Would someone please explain ... by slinches · · Score: 1

      I guess if you're not willing to actually discuss the issue, we can just agree to disagree without actually understanding each other's arguments. Though that's a rather disappointing outcome.

      --
      Knowledge Brings Fear
    9. Re:Would someone please explain ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      I do not agree to disagree.

      The scopes of copyright and patent do not overlap. They are so different that they have their own bureaucracies.

      Because the two concepts are radically different, they do not lend themselves as objects for comparison in an analogy.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    10. Re:Would someone please explain ... by slinches · · Score: 1

      How are they radically different, then? Are they not both a limited monopoly grant on the reproduction of specific implementations of ideas and derivative works thereof?

      --
      Knowledge Brings Fear
    11. Re:Would someone please explain ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Consider:

      If every piece of art created in our lifetimes is locked down, then we don't have the freedom to create anything new.

      Not so. We have the freedom to create all kinds of new stuff and lock it down for ourselves (or not).

      Therefore, the analogy that attempts to equate patents with copyright is fallacious.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    12. Re:Would someone please explain ... by slinches · · Score: 1

      That same freedom is available to both with the same restrictions. Either license the use of the patented/copyrighted item or find another way to accomplish the same goal.

      The biggest differences in that regard seem to be that it may be somewhat easier to work around copyright due to the flexibility of human communication. But there's also a much larger corpus of work to search through to ensure anything you create isn't infringing.

      --
      Knowledge Brings Fear
  41. "Mein Kampf" enters the Public Domain by DanielOom · · Score: 1

    The German state of Bavaria has claimed the copyright over Adolf Hitler's book 'mein Kampf' and used it to prevent it from being printed. This copyright has expired now so the book becomes free.

  42. Re:My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringement by jones_supa · · Score: 1

    More slack rights to write something that resembles something else. Only punish if the work is unquestionably a deliberate ripoff.

  43. Is it accurate to say most of the people on /. by jpellino · · Score: 1

    do work for hire, paid by the job or salaried and that's it - on to the next job/pay? Is it possible that colors the discussion? Seems to me there would be a different take on it if most of the people here worked for advance against 8-10% royalties or percent of sales. Not sure the /. take on this is global.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  44. Happy We Want It All For Free Day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course people who don't create anything want it all for free. It's called "greed". And human beings are nothing if not endlessly greedy.

    1. Re:Happy We Want It All For Free Day by tepples · · Score: 1

      Is it "greed" to expect to be able to write a song without fearing being bankrupted by a lawsuit for accidental infringement by the publisher of a song published in 1923-1958?

  45. "Is" can mean identity or subset by tepples · · Score: 1

    In colloquial English, "is" can refer to identical sets or to subsets. Set theory notation is more rigorous: A is a subset of B (A c B) if all elements of A are in B, and A equals B (A = B) if A c B and B c A. Consider these five sets of actions:

    • C is the set of copyright infringements.
    • P is the set of patent infringements.
    • I is the set of infringements, which contains C union P.
    • L is the set of larcenies.
    • S is the set of acts designated "stealing" by copyright maximalists, which contains I union L.

    Obviously, copyright infringement doesn't equal patent infringement (C != P). Yet we say copyright infringement "is" infringement in the sense of a subset (C c I): all actions in C are in I. It's also true that infringement doesn't equal larceny (I != L). The question here is one of definition: whether "stealing" is a good name for some set that contains I union L. If this is true, then "stealing" is broader than larceny, and copyright infringement "is" stealing (C c S).

  46. Takings clause by tepples · · Score: 1

    If Congress enacts any retrospective copyright term reduction, copyright owners will likely sue the United States under their Fifth Amendment right to "just compensation".

  47. The Lion King would infringe Hamlet by tepples · · Score: 1

    OK, here we go: Name all filmmakers that would get sued if William Shakespeare's descendants still owned copyright in his plays.

    1. Re:The Lion King would infringe Hamlet by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      All filmmakers who copied William Shakespeare's works would get sued if William Shakespeare's descendants still owned the copyright to his plays and they felt inclined to sue.

      What's your point?

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    2. Re:The Lion King would infringe Hamlet by tepples · · Score: 1

      My point is that so many filmmakers have stood on the shoulders of Shakespeare that perpetual copyright would produce an industry that's vastly different from the one we're familiar with, and I'd argue a bleaker one.

    3. Re:The Lion King would infringe Hamlet by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      I'd argue the opposite.

      Remakes are a cheap, lazy way to make money. The majority of the intellectual work has already been done. Most remakes today are the older version on steroids.

      I say, let 'em come up with something new.

      That would certainly make entertainment less bleak.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  48. Sculpture in the frame by tepples · · Score: 1

    I am a photographer and I certainly support copyright protection but I don't understand the hysteria over the expiry date issue.

    It limits the photos you're allowed to take if there happens to be a 1923-1958 sculpture or mural in the frame.

    1. Re:Sculpture in the frame by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      That is not an expiry date issue; that's a "photographs are prohibited," issue enforced by notice or a shroud.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    2. Re:Sculpture in the frame by tepples · · Score: 1

      I was referring to sculptures and murals installed outdoors, where a notice is far less effective.

    3. Re:Sculpture in the frame by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      In the US, objects exposed to public view are fair game as centerpieces or collateral objects in photography with at least the following two exceptions:

      - Government installations where signs alert the photographer. I take photos down by the port here, and it's cool as long as I shoot pictures with the port to my back. I often get a visit by the port authorities warning me of the restriction. The security fence carries posters declaring the prohibition.

      - "Managed" public places (zoos, water parks, swimming pools, play grounds, outside art installations, etc.) where photography is prohibited either by notice or by the "manager." For instance, when I shoot the local water park, where no signs prohibit photography, an attendant or life guard asks me if I have a relative or friend actually taking advantage of the park as I shoot. If I answer, "no," the manager will ask me to please refrain. If I refuse, I am asked to leave. If I refuse, they can call the cops and the cop will ask me to leave or be ticketed for trespassing. No one can examine or confiscate my camera or erase photos (without probable cause), but I must leave or be charged with trespassing. I took a photograph of an oil tanker heading out to sea and posted it on the interwebs and received a take down notice from the owner on the grounds that the ship was a private artifact and I needed their permission to use its likeness, I told them to get screwed or put a shroud over the damn thing.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    4. Re:Sculpture in the frame by tepples · · Score: 1

      In the US, objects exposed to public view are fair game as centerpieces or collateral objects in photography

      I thought freedom of panorama in the United States applied only to buildings (called "architectural works" in Title 17 USC), not to outside art installations (called "sculptural works").

    5. Re:Sculpture in the frame by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      For a more relevant point of view ...

      Claims of copyright infringement are specific to each case. Is the photograph or painting a landscape in which there is an artwork or simply the artwork with a tree or building nearby? Was the photograph taken purely for personal use or to sell?

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    6. Re:Sculpture in the frame by tepples · · Score: 1

      In practice, "specific to each case" means "the copyright owner is likely to insist on a trial, which can bankrupt an alleged infringer with attorney's fees and court costs".

    7. Re:Sculpture in the frame by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      That's just as often the other way around.

      I'm a photographer, so I know something about this. If a large outfit uses one of my photos in an ad and I send them a take down request, they can simply demand that I meet them in court.

      They, having the deeper pockets, would get a pass.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  49. Revolutionary Idea by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 2

    Poe's Law.

    These are all actually equally crazy ideas, but there's a lot of nutcases going around clamoring for the first one. "Copyright should be limited to the original creator's natural life." Simple question: why?

    Second question: why do we have to wait for the government to fix this? I suppose there's a pretty good reason to have a maximum copyright duration so Disney doesn't immediately realize their dreams of indefinite copyright, but there shouldn't be anything wrong with licensing a work so that it reverts to the public domain in a more reasonable time frame. Creative Commons and other permissive licenses have been making slow progress towards an open culture, shouldn't this be the next step?

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  50. What have you created that someone hasn't before? by Maelwryth · · Score: 1

    The original term was 14 years, are you saying that in a time where the market is insanely bigger, the cost of creation is insanely smaller, and worldwide distribution is almost free you believe you should have a longer license to control your creation? That's insane.

    You do point out one of the problems though, that copyright has become a trade-able commodity. If you are a creator, then copyright should always be held by you, for your life, but shouldn't be able to be passed on or sold off in my view.

    Another problem is who really creates? You are releasing a trilogy of novels. Without having read them, what have you created? A new language? A new technology? A relationship that hasn't already been written about before? There are roughly 129,000,000 books in existence. What have you created that someone hasn't before?

    --
    I reserve the write to mangle english.
  51. Re:What have you created that someone hasn't befor by dgatwood · · Score: 1

    The original term was 14 years, are you saying that in a time where the market is insanely bigger, the cost of creation is insanely smaller, and worldwide distribution is almost free you believe you should have a longer license to control your creation? That's insane.

    The original term (or at least the first nationwide term in the U.S.) was 14 years, with the ability to renew for 14 more years if you were still alive at the end of the first term, for a total of 28 years, which is considerably longer than the 20 years proposed, even in purely absolute terms. Further, that original 28-year term (14+14) was essentially the rest of your life in that era, even if you were young. The proposed twenty-year period would be about a fourth of the rest of your life these days.

    The cost of creation is not significantly smaller than it was then. It still takes a long time to write a book. Yes, mechanically, it takes less time to type than to write by hand, but that's a minuscule fraction of the time spent creating a compelling story. If anything, the cost of creation is much higher now on average, because a much higher percentage of modern stories are written in a distant future, or in an alternative fantasy world that does not actually exist. Today, the author has to create the universe in addition to creating the characters and the plot. And modern readers are more demanding when it comes to self-consistency in that universe.

    The potential audience might be larger, but the number of writers increased proportionally to the number of people on Earth, so the market is effectively the same. The only difference is that now you have to compete using more than just word-of-mouth, because that same-sized potential number of readers is spread across a larger area.

    The cost of production and distribution is lower. Unfortunately, because more people can afford to publish their works, on average, each writer makes less money.

    But the biggest reason that copyright should be a reasonable percentage of the author's is as a partial defense against the growing inequality between individual authors and the corporate world. Even with the current copyright durations, we see authors getting locked into extended contracts, and publishers dragging their heels on reprints, hurting the author's ability to profit off of their creations. Imagine if they could drag their heels just a few more years, and then reprint those works for free. They would do so. At every possible opportunity. The publishers would get everything, and the actual authors would get screwed.

    Basically, in an era where lots of works are still highly popular after forty or fifty years, in a world where corporations have the ability to trivially outlive the authors and out-wait them, the copyright for works of individual authorship needs to be long enough to at least partially restore the balance.

    --

    Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  52. Re:My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Accidental? Go listen to the two tunes again. The opening riff with three notes, maybe. But then song(s) continue. Whether Harrison recognized it or not at the time, that's infringement. If I published a science fiction story that wasn't a parody and it had a character named Luke Skywalker, I shouldn't be surprised to get a nastygram from Disney's lawyers.

  53. This is a good example right here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whenever someone posts a reasoned, thoughtful, non-trolling defense of copyright they get downmodded as a troll.

    Why? Because the mods are mostly people who steal movies and other digital goods and have for years, even though in most cases they can well afford to pay for the titles that they're really interested in. They won't even admit what they're doing is stealing, they have their own ideology on what it should be called. Illegal downloading and file sharing is a way of life for them, and now they're only interested in hearing arguments on why that should legalized.

    This site basically sucks whenever there's a story about copyright. It's a joke. There's no discussion, just mods making sure that the board "looks good" by modding dissenting posts into oblivion.

    1. Re:This is a good example right here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have mod points, and I am very pro copyright. I have a JD from a top IP law school. I would mod up some of the anti-copyright folks here, but I would rather participate in the discussion even if only as an AC. Copyright has gotten way out of whack in terms of length and severity of penalty. The pro copyright lobbyists have taken advantage of the public's disorganization and inattention over the years to dramatically tilt the laws in their favor. Copyright is no longer a bargain any free person would make, as far as I can tell. If I, a free person, were negotiating with other free persons on one side of the table, with artists, musicians, and publishers on the other side of the table, why would I give up my right to copy anything they produce in my lifetime or my kids lifetime? If that is the bargain they wanted, I would simply say, "no deal". I think most people would. The original deal was 14 years. That seems reasonable. I will give up my right to copy your creations for 14 years, to entice you (the artists and musicians) to create things, but after that, the works fall into the public domain. Forget movies from the 50s. Led Zeppelin's studio albums should be in the public domain. The Matrix should be in the public domain. I already gave up my rights to copy those things, and paid for them at a time it mattered most. I can't believe I have to remind people that I am a free person. I can copy whatever I want. Copying others is a birthright. It is what humans do. Where would any of you be without copying others? Not writing English. Because you copied that behavior. The only reason for a free person to give up the right to copy is to get something in return. As far as I am concerned, I am getting NOTHING in return under current copyright law. You can shove your Attack of the 50 Foot Woman up your ass! And excuse me if my fellow voters don't get what's going on, and can't manage to pick leaders who won't lie to them and then vote for the monied interests, including all of the copyright holders. This is a bad joke that has been taken way too far. I completely understand why people infringe copyright, even if I make efforts not to do it myself. I think of it as civil disobedience against something that is no longer a true democracy. To call it theft is just a sad reflection of cultural brainwashing and paid shilling for copyright holders. Shame on anyone who mindlessly parrots the party line. As I said, I am very pro-copyright. I firmly believe in the principle. But the current practice flagrantly violates the core principle of copyright in a free society. I am sorry that you are on the losing side of the argument. And yes, people should not use mod points to disagree with a reasoned argument.

    2. Re: This is a good example right here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is a top IP law school?

      What could such a place teach 24-year-olds about the actual practice of intellectual property law anyway?

  54. Put me in the short copyright colum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Short copyrights benefit everyone. Since works of art inspire other artists, much of what copyright laws hope to protect is negated anyway. Don't get me wrong, someone who innovates and comes up with something original and creative should be compensated for that effort. And not just for a couple of years, but for a good decade or two if it remains relevant. But in practice whatever it was that was original and interesting about what they created gets riff'd on anyway. How many songs have similar riff's and beats to something that came out 5,10,15 yrs ago? How many movies and books recycle similar themes that were innovative at one time? My point being that by releasing copyright restrictions, beloved characters, art works and songs can be re-invented and re-enjoyed in new and interesting ways.
    Rosencrantz And Gildenstern type spins on relatively modern stories not only create new, interesting tales, but I would guess they might spawn new (profitable) interest in the original work. Yes there will be Mickey mouse and superman parody porn -- welcome to the less enjoyable side of free speech. I'm going to skip the Thomas Jefferson spin on this argument, but if you created something innovative 2 or 3 decades ago, it's likely that the world has moved on and you aren't raking in the cash. Hand it off to th next generation of artists to build in, and take pride in the fact that they do. You might start a new revenue stream from something that had stopped being productive. Not to mention the great pride from contributing to a new revelation of ideas, or, for the egoist, being relevant again.

  55. Re:My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringement by tepples · · Score: 1

    Whether Harrison recognized it or not at the time, that's infringement.

    So what specific precautions ought one to take to avoid such infringement?

  56. Copyright started as right to copy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Copyright started out as 'right to copy'. People who create artistic works can have exclusive rights to their creations for 20 years. Then people can copy your work. But someone said 'my baby, my baby'. They created one thing, and wanted to get paid for it forever. And so 20 years became 30, became 40, became 50, and now its something like 75 years past the death of the author, and others no doubt want it to be 150 years past the death of the 14th generation grandchild. And when an American politician stated that 'forever is not constitutional', a copyright length extension proponent said 'well then we will try for forever minus one day.' In reality, 20 years --one generation-- is long enough. And copyrights and patents should not be saleable. The originator gets the exclusive rights. And rights are non-transferable, they are exclusive to an individual. You can't sell rights for money. Or maybe in the US you can. Money is speech after all.

  57. 50 foot woman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It would be great to fuck 50 foot woman...

  58. Copyright should be infinite. by master_p · · Score: 1

    Copyright should be infinite. If an author is so good that demand for his works is infinite, then so be it.

    You, me or anybody else have zero rights over someone else's works.

    1. Re: Copyright should be infinite. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here's what you don't know: protecting a work COSTS TAXPAYERS. Do you think the initial payment of 40something dollars should cover INFINITE years of keeping the work on file, on an actual building with actual employees, having too sift through 800 years of copyright just to defend a private companies right to the work of people long dead?

    2. Re:Copyright should be infinite. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But works do not exist in a vacuum. English is a finite language. There are only so many ways to express an idea. If I want to write a story, how different must it be from other works to avoid a lawsuit?

      Must it be not wholly similar, and thus each typographically flawed edition of the original work is also a unique work? if so, then simply altering the spelling of the main characters name is enough for it to be a work.

      Must it be not substantially similar, and thus a story cannot be written which is close, as a homage, or as a spiritual successor? If so, then fanfic, and a number of tribute works are in hot water.

      Or perhaps if it "sounds like it" or uses patterns that were used in the originally created work, it's infringing?

      In any case, the thing i personally am concerned about is so called "orphan" works, where it is no longer clear who, if anyone, holds the rights. If terms are indefinite, then these orphaned works are gone forever. I'd rather not see books i've loved never return to shelves, or be struck from e-book libraries as ill-prepared authors are killed without having set up something to orchestrate the copyrights after death. Were I an author, I might just write into my will that I release into the public domain all my works. But I am not yet, nor will i likely ever be one that amounts to anything. I want to see these limits primarily for the sake of history. And with how fast we've begun advancing, I'm not sure what I read will still be available later this week, much less in 95 years when it gets to go to the public domain.

  59. After 20 years, defined compensation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Twenty years from first publication might be reasonable, but it is still problematic for works of fiction, because it is a short enough period of time that a film studio wanting to make a movie would be sorely tempted to wait out the copyright rather than paying the author for the use of his or her work.

    For the first 20 years, the author controls the royalties for third party use. "I want 50% or forget it!" After that, there is a defined royalty payment for the author and his estate. So if your trilogy is turned into a hugely successful series of virtual reality experiences after 2035, the $10 billion the publishing company grosses would be partly yours. Say 2%. So you would get two hundred million for having authored the work and letting the internet or a paper publisher present it to the world for the prior 20 years. If another $100 million in print is published, you get another two million.

    The big companies would lobby to get that number down, of course.

    I have no idea if 2% is reasonable, but it sure seems that way to me.

    I would go the same way with patents. The patent holder has full control over compensation for some period of time, then a default compensation kicks in.

  60. Re:My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't be careless and rip off someone else's melody. Harrison KNEW the song - he and his band mates were avid pop music fans, and certainly knew Motown and girl groups - it's just possible he didn't make the connection, or didn't care.

    It's the same when a melody pops into my head or your head that sounds catchy, so catchy that it's quite possible that we heard it before on the radio. That may have been what happened here, and that's being charitable to Harrison. It's also possible that he knew at the time that it was a "He's so fine" ripoff. The jury evidently considered his prominence and stature when it ruled that it was "subconscious plagiarism".

  61. Avoiding accidental infringement by tepples · · Score: 1

    Remakes are a cheap, lazy way to make money. [...] I say, let 'em come up with something new.

    So under the assumption of centuries-long copyright, what step should a filmmaker take to ensure that his work is in fact "something new" and not an accidental infringement?

    1. Re:Avoiding accidental infringement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously, watch all of the other films, while paying viewing license fees. Or perhaps they could just describe what they plan to make to You Know That Show Where on TVtropes, and hope the groupmind doesn't remember anything close enough to make your film illegal before it begins.

    2. Re:Avoiding accidental infringement by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Or you could simply have the copyright laws as they are today and stuff.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    3. Re:Avoiding accidental infringement by tepples · · Score: 1

      Or perhaps they could just describe what they plan to make to You Know That Show Where on TVtropes

      TV Tropes is itself a pile of copyright infringement, as seen before on Slashdot.

  62. good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your descendants' benefit has nothing to do with why we have copyright. The ONLY reason copyright exists is because it was thought to be good to encourage people to create more that would become part of society's culture and knowledge by giving them a *limited* period of time to exclusively profit from that creation. It was not intended to become a never-ending gravy train for the creator and his heirs.

  63. Re:My Sweet Lord and other accidental infringement by tepples · · Score: 1

    Don't be careless and rip off someone else's melody

    That's what I'm asking: what measures constitute "care".

  64. Realistic argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "But what if I make a great work, and it only becomes profitable after 95 years? Leeches could steal all that income from my corpse. That's why I think everything should be copyrighted forevers and evers, in the unlikely case I'm this generation's greatest storyteller."

  65. copyright extintion and money by perih60 · · Score: 1

    SCARFACE have made a coment on this subject , on this site once before , howard hughes made a movie called Scarface in 1932 . at the start of the movie is an intro , an explanation as to why the violance was depicted , he also reminds people that they are in control of the goverment !! ( i do not live in the USA , but have always lived in countries where we are free , growing up in the 80's this was a forein concept for me , i thought we had to do everything the gov told us to ) . around 1985 a movie was made called Scarface ( sorry for degressing , one of the things i believe is that even public domain items must be refrenced ) 90% of the dialog came verbatin from the first Scarface , with no reference to the first . in my opinion this makes it theft . then there is microsoft copying new york library books , and stamping " digitalised by microsoft " thruout it , here again i see no "fair usage " but the most important aspect is are they going to make money out of it ! and quite often " free " is relative , even the photos my sister sends me cost in terms of up and downloads , it costs me between 15 and 20 $ per GB ,i take it from this that even with pirated movies books ect , some company's are doing very well !

    --
    the power of men in charge of words over men in charge of machines surpasses all wondering S WEIL
  66. PROFESSIONAL Ebook Cover or Kindle Cover by Creativelog · · Score: 1

    I will design PROFESSIONAL Ebook Cover or Kindle Cover https://www.fiverr.com/s/50tp2...