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Originally Posted by rrburton
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Figure out how long it takes for the average work to become profitable. That's how long copyright should be for. No more, no less.
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Do you think that something like this would serve to affect the quality of the works produced? I kind of think it works this way in manufacturing, products only need to have the quality level necessary for their expected lifespan. |
It's hard to set out to write a book that ceases to be informative or interesting after 15 years.
Note that, for the first 185 years of copyright, 56 years max protection (28 for almost 100 years) was plenty of incentive to convince people to publish.
The vast majority of copyrighted publications are out of print in 15 years. (The vast majority, actually, are out of print in one year. But blockbusters and trendsetters have a longer lifespan.) The next 80+ years of copyright, for many publications, only serve to prevent anyone else from making money--not to make more for the original creator.
(80+ years: 95 for corporate works, L+70 for others in the US; I'm assuming the majority of authors outlive their works' publications by at least 10 years.)