[Kitabi]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

They aren't entirely random.

"Life plus" generally makes sense, in part because the creator can perish at any moment after the content is actually created. Does it makes sense that if the author dies 5 days after a book is published, it should go straight into public domain, thus relieving the publisher of any need to pay royalties for the book?

For signatories of the Berne Convention, the minimum term is life + 50, presumably to provide a good incentive and cushion for the estate. In addition, most of Europe was at life + 70 at the time of the last extension in the US. The idea in the US was to both harmonize copyright terms, as well as keep a "trade balance" at least equal in the US. Like it or not, content is a big revenue generator for the United States, and that revenue is largely lost when a work goes into public domain.

I might add that someone somewhere is going to bitch endlessly no matter what term is selected.

I have no issues with what you are saying but that does not address my point in any way. My question is where does the figure of +50 or +70 or +95 come from? I can understand if someone says life + spouse's life or life + children's life but these numbers sound totally random in the absence of an explanation of how they were arrived at.

Contrary to your claim, today most "working stiffs" do get paid upon retirement by Social Security. You can also pass on revenue generators to descendants. Social Security has survivor benefits; life insurance may pay out; stocks, bonds, mutual funds, interest-bearing savings accounts, and other financial instruments do not evaporate upon the owner's demise, and can be willed to individual(s) and/or organizations.

So, this really isn't much different.

That analogy is incorrect. Social Security payouts come from taxes you paid "from your earnings". Any financial stuff you invested in was again "paid for" with cash. I did point out in my argument that passing forms of cash is the general form of inheritance. It is inheritance of intellectual property that's unique to content.

There are numerous social benefits to works going into public domain after a limited term.

Like what? In a lifetime + 70 scenario what exactly is the relevance of placing something in public domain except for historical study?

Estates, descendants and families also don't necessarily exist forever. As such, stewards of a perpetual content would inevitably lose track and/or become too divided to be manageable.

And that's their headache. They WANTED these rights in the first place.