Copyright restrictions are so lengthy that only people born at the tail-end of the author's life will ever be able to build on that work. Take the Lord of the R

Copyright restrictions are so lengthy that only people born at the tail-end of the author's life will ever be able to build on that work. Take the Lord of the Rings for example: Tolkien has been dead for half a century, the society that recognised and popularised his work is largely dead, having had no opportunity to contribute to, or build on it. The idea that society has raised multiple generations of people who weren't even alive contemporaneously with the author doesn't sit well personally.