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Originally Posted by spindlegirl
Has anyone ever tried copyright until a certain ceiling of dollars has been earned vs the passage of time? Say, after 100K has been profited to the author...
That way, someone who had slower success still stands a chance of earning as much as someone who is big name for doing the same amount of work (maybe even more than) as the big author who everyone grabs their novel sight unseen? Or if someone's novel isn't just that great, or not trendy, then they can receive that money when it does "hit".
I knew someone who wrote knitting patterns - sort of - that way. They charged a fee for a pattern until they had earned back in time what they had put into it and profited... then they made it free (while not yet public domain).
Probably a silly idea, but it's a way to encourage earning income... No different than if I build a house, it would earn me a wage, but then to earn more i'd have to build another house...
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The problem with that is you'd have some people who would get to the limit almost instantly, where as others you'd never even approach the limit. The lesser known works would fall even further into obscurity, especially after they are no longer in print. Also, you'd have to constantly revise the law to adjust the limit for inflation, and you'd have so many people arguing for different limits. Disney wouldn't be happy unless it is several billion dollars (because their properties can obtain over a billion dollars in total), while a lesser known author would barely be able to squeak out a living wage on their work, and never even come close to anything the big boys would get.