Now I start my day saddened by the expression "A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh". As if there could be any other.
Yes, I know. There could. Damn Disney.
What will enter the public domain in 2022
151–160 of 235 posts
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
I hear this argument, but eh. You want to write a song, go write on, you don't need to mix someone else's. And if you do, go pay them something instead of just freeloading. Translations from one language to another I get, but again, if you want to make money translating books, go talk to the author and give them a share. Or write your own book in chosen language. Unless you have the source code to obsolete abandoned…
What do you define as a public good? All of these can be done with lower friction when copyright expires. Is that not a public good? Maybe it's a minor public good in your eyes that is outweighed by the benefits to the individual, but it certainly qualifies as something advantageous for the public. > and it is abandoned, then who's to stop you building on it now? A copyright troll who just sits on copyrights without…
First time I've heard of copyright trolls, so it's worth unpacking that..
If you knowingly reuse a work, then I'd argue they are not a troll, they are a copyright holder, so go figure out a license fee.
What about unknowingly using something they claim? That's more subtle, and I buy the argument there. Copyright expiry would help to avoid nonsense claims. But maybe sane courts can adjudicate that - then again Sane Courts (laughing).
But aiming overall copyright expiry to limit nonsense claims, would also prejudice real works that need real protection. So do we lose more than we gain?
So assuming expiring is good - lifetime of author plus a bit?
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#153This comes up every year so I ask a question: If you could fix copyright, how would you do it? Here is what I would do: 1. All works must be registered in a government registry. If it's not in there it's not copyrighted. If you want to register a work from before the law passes, you have to prove you own it under the current system. This would solve the orphan works problem -- if no one can prove they own it, it beco…
5 years duration. More than enough time to make a fortune. No extensions ever .
Excellent. I'm off to use all GPL software older than 5 years in my proprietary code. I'm sure RMS wont mind. He's made his fortune. That's what you meant right?
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#154This comes up every year so I ask a question: If you could fix copyright, how would you do it? Here is what I would do: 1. All works must be registered in a government registry. If it's not in there it's not copyrighted. If you want to register a work from before the law passes, you have to prove you own it under the current system. This would solve the orphan works problem -- if no one can prove they own it, it beco…
Remove copy right. Everyone must be allowed to copy. If you’re selling devices, you must provide schematics and software sources to users.
You're right. All that pesky GPL code should just be public domain right? I'm sure RMS would dig that.
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#155This comes up every year so I ask a question: If you could fix copyright, how would you do it? Here is what I would do: 1. All works must be registered in a government registry. If it's not in there it's not copyrighted. If you want to register a work from before the law passes, you have to prove you own it under the current system. This would solve the orphan works problem -- if no one can prove they own it, it beco…
In order to fix something, you first have to articulate how it is broken. And it seems to me that, from the replies, there are many different ways people perceive the current system. Some are clearly thinking mostly about software - patent trolls or old games that can no longer be played. Others are concerned with writing, like songs, books or blogs. And for some reason Disney and Microsoft are the ones out to buy ev…
> Which leads us to the question of why it should indeed ever expire?
It's the 21st century, nothing stops us from simply copying works with absolute impunity. The question is why even recognize copyright as legitimate to begin with?
Society is doing creators a favor by pretending their works are artificially scarce. We allow creators to profit from their works. Public domain is actually how things are naturally: after data is created, it can be copied infinitely at negligible costs. We enable the artificial scarcity that allows creators to profit from their works.
There has always been an understanding that eventually the works will return to the public domain. Creators are supposed to make money for a while but eventually the party is supposed to end. We're not here to enable their eternal rent seeking. If they want more money, they gotta make new stuff.
Every time copyright duration is extended, it's a slap in the fact of the public. We have been blatantly robbed of our public domain rights. No one's ever been bold enough to suggest straight up eliminating our rights though. At some point copyright infringement becomes civil disobedience and a moral imperative.
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#156This comes up every year so I ask a question: If you could fix copyright, how would you do it? Here is what I would do: 1. All works must be registered in a government registry. If it's not in there it's not copyrighted. If you want to register a work from before the law passes, you have to prove you own it under the current system. This would solve the orphan works problem -- if no one can prove they own it, it beco…
Remove copy right. Everyone must be allowed to copy. If you’re selling devices, you must provide schematics and software sources to users.
So Spotify should just keep 100% of revenue for themselves instead of paying royalties?
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#157This comes up every year so I ask a question: If you could fix copyright, how would you do it? Here is what I would do: 1. All works must be registered in a government registry. If it's not in there it's not copyrighted. If you want to register a work from before the law passes, you have to prove you own it under the current system. This would solve the orphan works problem -- if no one can prove they own it, it beco…
Maybe for big IPs, but fees for tiny ones doesn't make sense. If I make a drawing, or a song, or Youtube video, I don't want others to be able to copy and profit off of them, and I also don't want to pay $33/yr for every single thing I create.
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
> There is no reason someone should be able to make one hit song and then never work again. It makes people want to do it, hence providing the incentive for more creation. Frankly, if someone writes a good song then I'm happy they'll do well off it, we need more good songs and that song will last a lifetime for the listeners too.
> It makes people want to do it, This is red herring. I doubt you could find a single musician who would tell you that they wouldn't be creating if they don't get a lifetime to exploit the work. Further, you can see proof of this through history. Copyright used to be much shorter and people still created. Most people who create, especially people who make good music, do it because they love it, not because they will…
> Most people who create, especially people who make good music, do it because they love it, not because they will get to exploit it.
Do you think they write more or less because they make money from it?
If I shared one song and made money then would the chances of me sharing another increase?
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
5 years duration. More than enough time to make a fortune. No extensions ever .
Excellent. I'm off to use all GPL software older than 5 years in my proprietary code. I'm sure RMS wont mind. He's made his fortune. That's what you meant right?
No problem with that. Copyright shouldn't even exist anymore to be honest. Copyleft is just an attempt to make the most of a bad system and has no reason to exist in a world without copyright. Stallman would not want it abolished it, of course: all free software depends on copyright.
You want to copy GPL software? Sure. We'll copy yours too. That's the way things should be.
Re: What will enter the public domain in 2022
#160Copyright law has damaged global culture. Who benefits when the copyright to Winnie-the-Pooh takes almost 100 years to expire? Only the companies who sell licensed merchandise. Think about how many fan works we’ll never see because we bizarrely decided to grant creators a monopoly on whatever they create, even if the work enters the public mythology like with Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. The people of the country…
Do you think we should have shorter time spans? How short? Should star wars be public domain? Harry Potter? It's not an easy answer. Not everything is a hit right away... Some things like Song ofnIce and Fire only became hits decades later.
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