[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

And while current copyright durations may be too long, don't forget that durations were significantly shorter -- 14 years iirc -- in the 1500s when copyright first started. (Longer terms make more sense, now that our lifespans have more than doubled since the 1500s.)

You are either misinformed or making it up as you go along, the first copyright law was 1709. Also I was answering the question of what would Shakespeare not be able to write if encumbered by today's copyright laws.

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Also, don't forget that modern society does not necessarily outlaw creative re-uses -- just re-uses that are a) too similar and b) if it is highly similar, done with the permission of the rights holder.

There is also a lot of tacit approval of, or at least tolerance of, certain non-commercial re-uses, notably "fanfics."

Even from a strictly aesthetic point of view, restrictions on who can legitimately use and re-use copyrighted material is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm not convinced the world would be best served by every Tom, Dick and Harry being able to publish their own Harry Potter books and make their own Harry Potter movies. Nor do I believe that if a writer of equal talent and dedication as Shakespeare was active today, that copyright would genuinely hinder his or her abilities.

So I take it your argument is that uses that can be censored at the whim of the copyright tyrants are good enough because most people out there won't meet your subjective standards of what's good anyway?

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

This is not to say that the commercial stewards of such properties always make perfect decisions, or that current copyright durations are optimal. But I don't see how replacing copyright with an anarchistic public domain policy offers an improvement, except for the people who can't be bothered to make their own characters, plots and fantasy worlds.

People like Shakespeare? Walt god i hate him for what Mickey Mouse has done to the world Disney? The Brother's Grimm? Andy Warhol painting soup- cans? You can't honestly think a story a painting or a movie pops in out of nowhere. Everything builds on what came before.