Quote:
Originally Posted by pwalker8
The issue isn't read for free, the issue is read at all. That's pretty much the point of public domain. It's not that stuff should be free, it's that stuff should be available rather than lost. In the copyright act of 1870, all authors who wished to be copyrighted were required to send two copies of their works to the Library of Congress so nothing was lost. It is a true pity that this is no longer in effect.
Imagine if you would, if you could get a copy of any book every copyrighted in the US? Who cares about the cost? If free bugs you, then why not change it so that once a book goes into public domain, then anyone can print it, but they have to pay a fee, some fair percentage of the price of the book, or a set fee, whichever is higher, to the library of Congress. While the author or the author's spouse is alive the fee goes to them (you can also throw in while the author's children are below the age of maturity if you like), afterwards it goes to the upkeep of the Library of Congress.
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The point is that if the copyright holder does not want it available then he is perfectly within his rights. Just because someone wants to read it does not make it right or legal to force the copyright holder to relinquish their rights. If I have the copyright to my diary and do not want it published no one should have the right to force me to give up my copyright. And if it contained information about a crime a judge could give the government the right to read it within the legal parameters of the crime committed. They would not have the right to publish or make the diary available to others. Whether it is intellectual property or real property, within the guidelines of the law I have to right to dispose of it as I see fit.
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