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Congress Is Looking To Extend Copyright Protection Term To 144 Years (wired.com)
"Because it apparently isn't bad enough already, Congress is looking to extend the copyright term to 144 years," writes Slashdot reader llamalad. "Please write to your representatives and consider donating to the EFF." American attorney Lawrence Lessig writes via Wired: Almost exactly 20 years ago, Congress passed the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, which extended the term of existing copyrights by 20 years. The Act was the 11th extension in the prior 40 years, timed perfectly to assure that certain famous works, including Mickey Mouse, would not pass into the public domain. Immediately after the law came into force, a digital publisher of public domain works, Eric Eldred, filed a lawsuit challenging the act [which the Supreme Court later rejected].
Twenty years later, the fight for term extension has begun anew. Buried in an otherwise harmless act, passed by the House and now being considered in the Senate, this new bill purports to create a new digital performance right -- basically the right to control copies of recordings on any digital platform (ever hear of the internet?) -- for musical recordings made before 1972. These recordings would now have a new right, protected until 2067, which, for some, means a total term of protection of 144 years. The beneficiaries of this monopoly need do nothing to get the benefit of this gift. They don't have to make the work available. Nor do they have to register their claims in advance.
Twenty years later, the fight for term extension has begun anew. Buried in an otherwise harmless act, passed by the House and now being considered in the Senate, this new bill purports to create a new digital performance right -- basically the right to control copies of recordings on any digital platform (ever hear of the internet?) -- for musical recordings made before 1972. These recordings would now have a new right, protected until 2067, which, for some, means a total term of protection of 144 years. The beneficiaries of this monopoly need do nothing to get the benefit of this gift. They don't have to make the work available. Nor do they have to register their claims in advance.
Sure it does. It just means that everything thing that is currently in the public domain is all that will ever be in the public domain.
144 years?! That's Gross!
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
I will be voting against any of my representatives who support this no matter what. I'm tired of the corruption.
Delaware. Land of the corporations. What a fucking surprise.
And notice he's Democratic. Supposedly the good guys, according to some. Proof that it's all about the money.
Sure it does. It just means that everything thing that is currently in the public domain is all that will ever be in the public domain.
Agreed. Anyone who votes for this ever in his lifetime is not qualified to be a servant of the people. No further test is required.
Put simply if a child can be born, live a long life, and die before something goes in public domain then you have effectively eliminated public domain. Combine that with DRM and such which makes even backing up video challenging, and most things will simply cease to exist, if some major company isn't maintaining the originals.
Of course for content companies they _want_ old work to cease to exist, since it makes it easier to charge for something similar to be made again.
If the want copyrights forever then they need at least to pay a princely sum for them. First ten years could be standard. Then every year for the next 10 a million bucks. After that double it to 20 million, then 40 million, then 80 million at 10 year intervals, paying every year. Eventually they won't be able to afford the payment and it goes public domain. That would stop some of this crap, and provide for some nice tax revenue.
Also, make sure they deposit unencumbered versions in original quality with the library of congress or similar.
You say things like that as if Congressman aren't bought-and-paid-for, with legislation going to the highest bidder. Talk about living in a Land of Make Believe.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
The solution is Property Tax. They want their Intellectual Property to be treated just like real estate, I suggest we oblige them. And the property tax should be payable in every country where the copyright is protected, with the revenue used to pay for copyright enforcement.
We need to tell Trump that Obama extended copyright, and was a big supporter of it. It was his signature move!
Does it matter? My cost as a hotel owner would be to pay minimum wage to some worker that cleans the room and the toilet, changes the sheet, towels, soaps etc. I would be delegating the work... not doing it myself.
What other cost is there in maintenance? The maintenance cost seems quite tiny compared to the hotel itself.
It's not that I'm not agreeing with you in principle, but you really have no clue at all. The upkeep and maintenance on any property is not cheap, and a commercial property even more so.
Property taxes are not low on commercial properties in most places. Parking lots have to be repaved regularly, roofs need to be replaced, unless it's a mom and pop hotel, it will need to be remodeled every 10 years or so.
Insurance premiums ain't cheap. People flood bathrooms and fall asleep while smoking in rooms that they shouldn't be smoking in. So then there's all of legal and collections crap that takes lawyers and other people to deal with.
If you think you have a high utility bill in the summer or winter, just imagine what it costs in electricity for a hotel. Water usage it also considerable. You also have heater/AC units in every room. They break and need to be fixed and replaced. Beds need to be replaced frequently, carpet wears out. Maintenance men and grounds keepers need to be paid as well as equipment.
As far as I know, all Hilton type hotels have at least a breakfast service. So a kitchen needs expensive equipment, which again need to be maintained/fixed. Staff is needed to prepare, serve and clean up. I would guess a lot of food gets thrown out as well.
Basically think of all of the expenses you have at home, but times a couple hundred. Plus the cost of having someone clean your house, mow the grass and trim the bushes, cook the meals, fix all of the shit that gets broken and worn out (but faster because it's higher traffic and no one gives a damn about it), etc.
If owning and running a hotel worked the way you seem to think, I'd go buy or build one tomorrow. But it's not some simple one time cost and it just rakes in money type of situation.
And I feel not one even the tiniest trace of guilt for that.
As much as we may love the products of the entertainment industry, most of that industry is seriously lacking a sense of social responsibility.
I hated GWB as president. His dad too. But have you seen interviews with GWB afterwards?
I've come to realize he was one of the nicest people I've ever heard of. If there's such a thing as an angel... imagine GWB as a smiling cherubic flying baby with a halo and a diaper. He was truly one of the nicest people EVER to step into that office. And if love and care counts for anything, he was possibly the greatest man ever to step into that office.
Oh... and he's a nitwit.
I just can't bring myself to call him hurtful names like Dubya anymore.
A bunch of big bad people like Cheney used him as their meal ticket to get into the power position and they let him stand there helpless in front of the American people as they jammed a carrot up his ass and made his lips move.
We talked about having Bush and others court martialed. The truth is, Cheney and the others should be court martialed for child abuse which is basically what they did to GWB. Cheney would walk into GWBs office and offer him a Werther's Original and gently ask him to drop to his knees.
Be nice to GWB... he really tried his best. He was absolutely horrible at the job, but he really really really tried his best. More often than not, he managed to color within the lines with his crayons.
And I hope someday to have a beer with the guy and tell him I was truly wrong to say so many bad things about him while he was president. I didn't truly grasp his situation until he left office and was able to speak more comfortably... without all the campaigning and saving face.