Quote:
Originally Posted by eschwartz
There isn't and wasn't a time limit on "how long someone can own something".
But copyright only applies for the type of "thing" that fundamentally isn't really all that much of a "thing" to begin with.
Ideas.
You can't own an idea.
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This.
The other thing to keep in mind is that unlike actual property, part of the reason that such works go into public domain is that people frequently get ideas from other works. It's talked about much more often in the music world, but it's just as common in the literary world.
Of course no one really admits it, unless you are talking about PD works since if you admit to borrowing an idea from the Harry Potter universe, you open yourself to a lawsuit. Movies as well. The Magnificent Seven was a remake of the Seven Samurai. It's part of our culture. If you look at fanfic, you see a ton of of works based on specific universes. You have all the licensed books, such as the Star Wars universe, the Darkover universe and a host of others.