Quote:
Originally Posted by barryem
There are societal needs and societal benefits. Fictional characters help form shared values. How much less we'd be if we didn't have Sir Lancelot, Robin Hood, Sam Spade, Bugs Bunny, Santa Claus, Peter Pan, Sherlock Holmes and Long John Silver.
Barry
|
No one has made the case that with copyright, there'd be no shared story telling. We have plenty of evidence to the contrary. Every movie that came from a book. Every author that writes "Star Wars" books - legitimately.
We also have ample, overwhelming, evidence that folks can tell "the same story" using their own characters and plotlines. Every Cop Buddy movie, every "medical drama" tv show.
Someone else already demonstrated with a listing of all the cartoon mice character's that copyrighted MickeyMouse was no barrier toward.
You want to make a movie in the Avatar universe....go talk to James Cameron or his company and secure rights. If he doesn't agree or you don't want to pay the price....then create your OWN "humans riding in Alien Android hybrid machine" story.
Want to write a book in the Halo universe? Talk to microsoft and secure a license. They won't play ball or you don't want to pay the price? Then write your own "man rides inside large mechanical fighting machine" story....like the THOUSANDS that exist.
There is no limit on fiction. There is no societal good that comes from putting a term on copyright for fiction that wouldn't ALSO come from just taking things other people own and saying "this is now the public's".