Quote:
Originally Posted by petrucci
This is a very good question. From a practical perspective I think if the horse is out of the barn, so to speak, then it should probably stay that way. It is just not realistic to try to recopyright out of copyright works.
This of course does not create a level playing field, so to speak. It does however limit the escalation of free material which I believe will result in the end of writing fiction as a profession.
Physical copies of out of copyright books still cost money. In fact, their cost is not appreciably less than that of other fiction. Such competition was still somewhat fair. However, in the digital age, these works are free. It is very hard to make a living by selling books for nothing.
This is of course a hypothetical, as I am not proposing recopywriting her works. This being said, I believe that such action would result in some people choosing to purchase a new book instead of purchasing one by Austen.
I do not think that removing works from the public domain is practical. This being said, my position applies to other fields as well, such as music, and motion pictures.
You are correct in questioning my statement, as it is incorrect. I think that it is important that authors are able to earn a living from writing. Thus, if an author spends six months writing a book, and then distributes it for free he cannot possibly recoup his expenses. It is important that books be priced so that the author can recoup his expenses based on expected sales.
Maybe my use of the term subsidy is non-standard. An author who spends his time writing, spends no time earning a living, and charges no money for his books, is effectively subsidising his writings. My concern here is that such authors have the potential to drive all other authors out of the marketplace.
I would not condone any authors distributing books for free. It took time and effort to write the book and they should be compensated for their work.
I think that if you saw the John Edwards video you would beg to differ.  Like most books, the hero 'wins' in the end, it is how the story is told and the cast of characters that determine its quality.
Some people are also influenced by price. Especially if they can find something similar that is a lower price.
This is certainly the danger. Thus I propose to maintain copyright on all books that are currently copyrighted.
No, this is rather draconian. |
I feel your argument is rather idiotic.
Even if the books that are currently in copyright never go out of copyright...older books would still be competition for new books. So how does that help this poor hack authors you are so concerned about?
Also, what do you expect now? No one should have access to free reading materials? What kind of illiterate world do you want this to be? That will be a great way to make sure the poor and disadvantaged never have the opportunity to learn.
Free works have been around since people first started telling stories.
Publishers give away free books every single day. Writers give away free books every single day. There are free stories on blogs, fanfic, websites, in the mail, on the news. I get books from the library and borrow them from friends. Free books/stories are everywhere and they always have been and always will be...
Stop making excuses for inadequacy. There is no such thing as a "level playing field" that isn't falsely created in order to give the appearance of such. People like what they like. And if they prefer Austen to new hack writer...then they will read Austen even if they have to go on the black market to do so.