Quote:
Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8
I've heard that changes are being made to the U.S. copyright laws to simplify them and to shorten the maximum time that something can stay in copyright. That will be much welcome. But I don't see why countries can't get together and make treaties to have copyright laws consistent between them, so as to avoid the questions like the offer that I posted. After all, countries get together and make international treaties all of the time about other things, But maybe I'm pollyannaish.  |
There are no moves underway to shorten copyright length in the US that I'm aware of.
The countries of the world did get together and make a treaty to make copyright laws consistent between them. It's just that the US didn't sign up to it until 1989. It's called the
Berne Convention, and dates back to 1886 (yes, over 100 years before the US joined).
The Berne convention says that literary copyright must be a minimum of life of author + 50 years.
Both the EU and the USA have now implemented longer a copyright term - life + 70 years.