Quote:
Originally Posted by arjaybe
Too long copyright hurts other creators more than it hurts consumers. The problem is that the work isn't entering the commons where it could be used to make new work. That hurts consumers a little since they don't get the benefit of the new work, but it hurts creators more by stifling creativity. People should be prepared to honor the copyright bargain.
rjb
|
Care to try and explain this? Why does work have to be in "the commons" to be used to create new work? I presume this is about all work being part of a "long conversation", but if I can read the book - via purchase or from the library - then being in the commons seems irrelevant. I'm trying to remember if there was ever a book that I really wanted to read that I couldn't get my hands on, legitimately, one way or another. ... I did want the full version of the
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs - I'd read only an abridged version as a child - but that was a matter of wanting a copy for my shelf, the full version was available from the library even when it was difficult to find in shops.
The vast majority of what I've read has been protected by copyright and yet I don't feel stifled. Should I be feeling oppressed? What am I missing?