Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward
There are no good analogies, the type of "property" as so different. Does society benefit from copyright? Yes it does. That is why society granted it in the first place. And society did grant it, it doesn't exist with society. (Whereas society can exist without copyright).
The benefit to society of copyright is not creation. But dead people don't create!. That's the failure of Life + definitions, people who don't create are getting a free ride off of the purpose of copyright. I prefer fixed term. I'd say 70 years is about right. Very few would outlive it, keeps bookkeeping simple and protect the offspring of those who die young...
But 70, not life + 70...
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Let us examine the benefits for society. Let us say an author dies and at the time of his death the book is still selling really well.
1.)If the copyright expired what would be the be benefits for society? People could download it for free, and they could make a movie out of it without paying any royalties. (Fair use for educational purposes, parodies, etc are covered already).
2.)If the copyright continues after the author's death the book will generate real income for the author, jobs for the people who work at his publishers and at retailers selling the books. All those people will pay taxes on their incomes.
Which scenario is better for society?