Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
If you wrote for a living, and had a family, wouldn't you want the royalty payments from your sales to go to your family after your death?
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First of all, the great majority of books are out of print at time of author's death. So we are just talking here about the few authors who are highly successful.
In that case, I would want my wife to have the royalty payments if she outlives me. But I think that my children would be better off earning their bread from their own efforts rather than knowing their job is financially less meaningful due to that stream of royalty checks.
Under the Berne Convention, my country and yours is obligated to protect copyright until the end of the 50th year following the author's death. There is no good justification I can see for having it go any longer. The fact that it goes longer that the treaty requires, in the US, is a shameful example of the power of lobbyists and campaign contributions.
Note:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyrig..._Extension_Act
"Both houses of the United States Congress passed the [Copyright Term Extension] act as Public Law 105-298 with a voice vote,[4][5] making it impossible to determine who voted for or against."