3 ms·

I'm not sure that death should matter (or if it did at least the copyright shouldn't end immediately on death), copyright terms should just be much shorter than

I'm not sure that death should matter (or if it did at least the copyright shouldn't end immediately on death), copyright terms should just be much shorter than they currently are. Imagine a fairly young but successful author dying suddenly. If their family was relying on them for income their exclusive rights to sell their books shouldn't just end immediately on their death - that could really screw people over. Making things unpredictable should be avoided.

account42 4y ago
Imagine a fairly young but successful plumber dying suddenly. If their family was relying on them for income their exclusive rights to sell their labor shouldn't just end immediately on their death - that could really screw people over. And it does. To migitate that and other similar circumstances this we have social safety nets. What is it with this expectations that not just authors of creative works but also their descendants should have this special ability to profit from their labor long after it was performed. Meanwhile every company "selling" digital content wants that content to be bound to a single living person and go poof once that person does.