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Such edge cases. Causes to modify copyright. I’ve already advocated the “economic life” be a consideration. Any book NOT remaining economically alive would fall into the public domain so we won’t LOSE works just because the rights holder loses interest.
I would put science in the same class as patents. Unlike fiction, there is real scarcity to scientific knowledge. Society need to build upon science. There is no societal need to build upon fictional characters.
Of course research isn’t in the public domain at first. Scientists working for companies are no more going to share their work than software developers are going to share their code.
Unless science is funded by society (government grants and the like), then it doesn’t belong to society. But if you wait too long to apply for patents ... someone else may discover what you did and patent it first. That’s the compact. You tell is how you did what you did, and you get a time boxed monopoly.
But there is no time box for work you keep to yourself
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