MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Which classics fall out of copyright in 2012?

squawker · 12-31-2011, 03:55 PM

Why does the copyright exist?

By selling a written work, the author is placing it in the public forum. Our society gives him a "copyright" - a wholly artificial monopoly - on the work, because it wants to give him an incentive to create more. This monopoly is *entirely* a creation of law. There is no natural copyright.

The benefit of the copyright bargain for the society is that the work becomes free for all to make use of once the limited period of monopoly runs.

The more limited monopoly periods which the U.S. had in the past did not stifle literary creativity.

So why did the Congress extend the period of monopoly for authors? To view it generously, I suppose you could argue that since the US generates a large number of works of entertainment, the Congress was trying to protect an important industry in the US. On the other hand, you could view it as the Congress selling out the people's benefit of the bargain.

12-31-2011, 03:55 PM	#93
squawker Member Posts: 24 Karma: 980 Join Date: Jan 2007 Device: PRS-500	Copyright - A Social Bargain Why does the copyright exist? By selling a written work, the author is placing it in the public forum. Our society gives him a "copyright" - a wholly artificial monopoly - on the work, because it wants to give him an incentive to create more. This monopoly is entirely a creation of law. There is no natural copyright. The benefit of the copyright bargain for the society is that the work becomes free for all to make use of once the limited period of monopoly runs. The more limited monopoly periods which the U.S. had in the past did not stifle literary creativity. So why did the Congress extend the period of monopoly for authors? To view it generously, I suppose you could argue that since the US generates a large number of works of entertainment, the Congress was trying to protect an important industry in the US. On the other hand, you could view it as the Congress selling out the people's benefit of the bargain.