Re: [dvd-discuss] Petition for rational copyright law

[Jeme A Brelin <jeme(at)brelin.net>]

On Mon, 9 Jun 2003 microlenz@earthlink.net wrote:
> I really do not see why N years PERIOD, should be considered brutal in
> its absolute equality and has to be replaced with all sorts of schemes
> to optimize the return. Optimizing the return is what you do when you're
> not making a lot more than you can deal with. Optimizing copyright is
> the same way. If we are not overflowing with useful memorable
> copyrighted material then something is wrong with how we are dealing out
> copyright.

The problem with "N years PERIOD" is that if it's useful to anyone, it's
too long and if it's too short, it's not useful to anyone.

You want things to enter the public domain pretty quickly, especially if
they're just falling into obscurity otherwise.  But you also want to make
sure that a popular work isn't diluted with knock-offs, misattributions,
and plagiarism, because that's confusing to posterity and makes historical
research a bitch.

So you have to have a system whereby speculative copyright is minimized,
but the system can have its desired effects.

Personally, I'd like to see a non-exclusive right of attribution (with
appropriately high damages and legal remedies) that lasts quite a long
time and a very short copyright period for works that need more exclusive
protection.

J.
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     Jeme A Brelin
    jeme@brelin.net
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