MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - What If the Copyright Act of 1909 Was Still Law?

Kitabi · 01-03-2011, 04:48 PM

My fascination is with the randomness of the time allocated to copyright. I have no objection to copyright as an incentive to innovation but let me play devil's advocate anyway.

If I work on an assembly line to create a machinery that would be in use for 35 years, are my heirs entitled to payment for the next 35 years for my work if I were to die immediately?

What it boils down to is whether you kept your creation to yourself or if you were paid for it. If you were paid, you already converted your "valuable creation" to cash which you are entitled to pass on to your heirs. This is what happens in most other cases. However, if you happen to possess a copyright you can pass on BOTH the cash AND the copyright. Why?

01-03-2011, 04:48 PM	#10
Kitabi Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 66 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook	My fascination is with the randomness of the time allocated to copyright. I have no objection to copyright as an incentive to innovation but let me play devil's advocate anyway. If I work on an assembly line to create a machinery that would be in use for 35 years, are my heirs entitled to payment for the next 35 years for my work if I were to die immediately? What it boils down to is whether you kept your creation to yourself or if you were paid for it. If you were paid, you already converted your "valuable creation" to cash which you are entitled to pass on to your heirs. This is what happens in most other cases. However, if you happen to possess a copyright you can pass on BOTH the cash AND the copyright. Why?