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Old 08-29-2013, 08:49 PM   #31
speakingtohe
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SleepyBob View Post
By the way, I would love for copyright to be based on some of the schemes that are discussed on MobileRead, e.g. 20 years with fee-based renewals. Still arbitrary, but it benefits me more.
Please expand on this and tell us how or why it benefits you more.

Are there a lot of books that were published 20-30 years ago and that were unpopular enough that the copyright was not worth renewing that you really want to read? Are most of these books not available or priced way too high? If they are priced too high for you, chances are the copyright would be renewed. If they are not worth renewing the copyright on would they be made available in a timely manner by a PD source?

I read a lot of books published in this era or earlier, but they are mainly works easily available today or I would not be able to read them. For my reading tastes which are very eclectic, it is difficult for me to find a book that is not published today that I want to read above all others. Sometimes not as ebooks, but pretty much all in paper.

Perhaps you have very a limited selection of books that you especially want to read published 20 years ago and many of them are not available in any form. Or so expensive that you can't afford them, the library doesn't carry them or arbitrarily out of print with no second hand paper copies available, and nothing else will do.

Me I am lucky. I have had books that I wanted badly (non-fiction) that were out of print and on an uncommon subject. I have always managed to get them even if they cost a couple of weeks income or more. Perhaps the universe smiled on me.

My point is that if a books is financially viable the copyright holder will continue to renew the copyright forever. If it isn't then it will no more likely be available to the select few who want it even through piracy. And more so, if no existing copies are available or are in an exclusive collection, how would they be made available. Do we break into the collectors house and steal the book to make copies?

Sorry for rabbiting on. I am interested though in your answer.

Helen
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