Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffC
From what I've seen the plumber probably gets more money per hour, than most authors.
This thread highlights two different totally opposite points of view, reading some of the comments, neither of these views will be conciled any day soon .....
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No they won't, but I baked chocolate cupcakes yesterday would you like one?
Here's the problem, HarryT's side is about money and payment. Someone writes they should get money if they can. I understand it but it is a narrow view and while claiming that it gives a writer the same rights as any other profession it actually gives them more.
My side is about limiting or even going so far as to remove monopolies. If you as I do, see all work as derivative then you don't understand why one person can remix and mash up what came before but the next person can't use this new remix or mash up as a part of their own. If the laws were balanced they'd say well you can but wait a reasonable time to take your turn and then maybe you can profit too. They'd say well maybe if you're not doing it commercially then who the hell cares. They might even go so far as to say if you really can't wait here's a set fee you can pay and the copyright holder can't say no even if they don't like your version. They'd probably say if your dvd is scratched it's okay to get someone else to send you a digital copy if you failed to or don't know how to make a backup. They'd make the penalties for infringement something like say, triple what the rights holder would have received if the infringer had just bought a copy unless you could show damages to the contrary. They'd have penalties for false accusations of infringement say a non trivial fine for a false DMCA takedown notice because some copyright enforcing script found your book report on Harry Potter. They'd limit enforcement measures because while infringement is not legal the possible lack of a few royalties doesn't balance out against privacy and civil liberties violations that go along with border searches of data on electronic devices or close monitoring and/or cutting off of people's internet connections. For the last one think of it this way, you don't put out a dragnet to catch jaywalkers. They'd require registration with a nominal processing fee within a reasonable time, say 1 year to get copyright protection, perhaps allow someone to mark something as copyright pending and a date to warn off of infringement before registration the way patent pending is used now.
Hmm That was all in no particular order. Anyway cupcake?