How Long Should Copyright Last?

[Giggleton]

Vote early Vote often.

I'm not sure how nullification would work, at the federal level would be tough, maybe as copyright infringement lawsuits are taken into court, the court would present the public with the nullification option? lol!

If you are looking for a timeframe that includes the creators lifespan, I would suggest choosing the 50+ years option.

The problem with using lifespans' is what if someone dies the day after something is created, or only half created, or what if as some believe, we one day achieve immortality?

The two options with nullification are similar and should be thought of as the same.

This poll's purpose is to determine what options should be present in future polls.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

Vote early Vote often.

Hey, this poll is rigged; it won't let me vote again!

Copyright = Forever

I make no distinction between physical property and intellectual property. If a land owner can pass his land on to his heirs after his death, then an author should have the right to do the same thing with his writings.

[Piper_]

Hmmm... tough to answer. The whole lifetime of the author concept is hard for me to shake.

OTOH, if you invent something - even something totally amazing that changes the world and saves lives, you only get rights for, what - 7 to 15 or maybe 20 years, max?

Doesn't sound fair.

[pietrocrazy]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Hey, this poll is rigged; it won't let me vote again!

Copyright = Forever

I make no distinction between physical property and intellectual property. If a land owner can pass his land on to his heirs after his death, then an author should have the right to do the same thing with his writings.

I downloaded some Aristophanes, who should I send the check to?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by pietrocrazy

I downloaded some Aristophanes, who should I send the check to?

Who holds his copyright?

[pietrocrazy]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Who holds his copyright?

They didn't have copyright in Ancient Greece.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Piper_

Hmmm... tough to answer. The whole lifetime of the author concept is hard for me to shake.

OTOH, if you invent something - even something totally amazing that changes the world and saves lives, you only get rights for, what - 7 to 15 or maybe 20 years, max?

Doesn't sound fair.

There's nothing fair about current copyright / patent law.

[GA Russell]

I think it should last the lifetime of the author. When he dies, so does the copyright.

But I also think that there should be a limit of 40 years, because if there were no limit, everybody would claim that he co-wrote the book with his daughter or granddaughter.

And to encourage authors to continue to write as they grow old, I think there should be a minimum term, say 14 years.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by pietrocrazy

They didn't have copyright in Ancient Greece.

There you go. You can't undo the past.

[tubemonkey]

Meanwhile, I have no problem reading public domain works. In fact, it makes up the bulk of my reading.

[pietrocrazy]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

There you go. You can't undo the past.

If you think copyright should last in perpetuity (an opinion shared by almost nobody, by the way), then obviously you believe that copyright is a moral imperative. And if that's the case, then the fact that nobody had thought of it yet is no reason not to discharge your moral duty to pay Aristophanes' descendants their due.

[pietrocrazy]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Meanwhile, I have no problem reading public domain works. In fact, it makes up the bulk of my reading.

Then why are you in favor of perpetual copyright? If copyright were perpetual, then there would be no public domain works.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by pietrocrazy

If you think copyright should last in perpetuity (an opinion shared by almost nobody, by the way), then obviously you believe that copyright is a moral imperative. And if that's the case, then the fact that nobody had thought of it yet is no reason not to discharge your moral duty to pay Aristophanes' descendants their due.

No! Out of copyright works would be excluded. Al we can do is address what's current.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by pietrocrazy

Then why are you in favor of perpetual copyright? If copyright were perpetual, then there would be no public domain works.

I have no problem paying authors I enjoy. It just so happens that my favorites are long dead and out of copyright.

[pietrocrazy]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

No! Out of copyright works would be excluded. Al we can do is address what's current.

I really don't understand. You say that copyright should last forever, but out of copyright works are excluded from copyright lasting forever? If copyright lasts forever, then there will be no out of copyright works. Or do you just think that there should be no new works put in the public domain... so anything written today should still be under copyright half a millenium from now?