Re: [dvd-discuss] Eldred Amicus

[Tom <tom(at)lemuria.org>]

On Wed, May 29, 2002 at 08:06:28AM -0700, Michael A Rolenz wrote:
> <D/A> Yes but the rights that the author possesses are part of their 
> estate, just as their other property and can be sold or retained by their 
> heirs as any other property. 

bzzzt. "property", yes. however, copyrights are not a property, the
propaganda of the movie mafia aside. copyrights are just that: rights.
the same way that you don't inherit the right to, say, free speech and
the pursuit of happiness, you don't inherit the copyright.


> Besides, death comes unexpected and terminating these rights at the time 
> of death becomes arbitrary. How can businesses or estates plan to publish 
> works under such conditions? Some form of objective and unequivocal 
> determination of when copyright ends must be used.

I agree. binding the length of copyright to the lifetime of the author
merely creates an incentive to murder him or her.

copyright terms should start at the date of creation. they should end
after a time that balances the interests of the author(!) and the
public. the #1 thing wrong with current copyright is that the author
and his interests have been replaced by the publishers.


-- 
New GPG Key issued (old key expired):
http://web.lemuria.org/pubkey.html
pub  1024D/2D7A04F5 2002-05-16 Tom Vogt <tom@lemuria.org>
     Key fingerprint = C731 64D1 4BCF 4C20 48A4  29B2 BF01 9FA1 2D7A 04F5