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Originally Posted by speakingtohe
Please expand on this and tell us how or why it benefits you more.
Are there a lot of books that were published 20-30 years ago and that were unpopular enough that the copyright was not worth renewing that you really want to read? Are most of these books not available or priced way too high? If they are priced too high for you, chances are the copyright would be renewed. If they are not worth renewing the copyright on would they be made available in a timely manner by a PD source?
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My point is that if a books is financially viable the copyright holder will continue to renew the copyright forever. If it isn't then it will no more likely be available to the select few who want it even through piracy. And more so, if no existing copies are available or are in an exclusive collection, how would they be made available. Do we break into the collectors house and steal the book to make copies?
Sorry for rabbiting on. I am interested though in your answer.
Helen
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Well, let me preface this by saying that I was speaking from the assumption that the replacement copyright was strictly shorter than the existing. e.g. 25 years renewable 3 times, not 25 years renewable indefinitely.
So, quite briefly, it benefits me more because it increases the availability of books, and it particularly increases the availability of free books. If a book is free, rather than $5.99, that benefits me, regardless of how easily available it is under the current scheme.
Similarly, probably half of what I read isn't new fiction. I read lots of science fiction that is 20-50 years old. Most of it isn't currently in print, so at a minimum I have to hunt for a used copy somewhere, and possible pay an inflated price. If copyright were renewable for a fee, these books would either be in the public domain and almost certainly available online, or they would be currently for sale new at a reasonable price. Both of those options benefit me.
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Me I am lucky. I have had books that I wanted badly (non-fiction) that were out of print and on an uncommon subject. I have always managed to get them even if they cost a couple of weeks income or more. Perhaps the universe smiled on me.
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Sure. But I am not willing to spend a week's salary on a book, and since I won't pirate it, either, I will regretfully read something else.
If you could have gotten those books at a cost based on the worth of the book, rather than on its scarcity, that would have benefited you, too.