Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward
[...]If you really want to solve the "copyright problem", tax copyrights. Why not? We tax all other forms of real property...
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Property taxes are generally based on the value of the property. How would you value a copyright? Presumably by the income that it generates (which is already being taxed). So if the book isn't selling the copyright would be considered zero value and tax would be zero - still no sting in the "long tail".
I have no particular problem with the idea that copyright of extended duration should incur a fee. But it isn't a just creators of copyright material (ie. everyone) that benefits from the no fee, no registration, system. It's the management of copyright itself. At the moment (in some countries at least) it's simple: create it and it's covered. If you start having variable length copyrights you need all the management and associated costs that go with that, not to forget all the treaties that you have to fit in with or change, not to forget that users of copyright material can't just look at a date to get a good idea, now they must research every item in detail.
It should be feasible to require a fee for extended copyright (I can't see it being feasible to require a fee for some more limited/basic form of copyright, copyright covers so much more than just books, and so many more people than just authors of novels), but it would be a significant undertaking and not one that seems likely to happen any time soon.