2 ms·

I think copyright should be changed generally here, there's no reason a drawing of a mouse should stay copyrighted for decades after it's original creator passe

I think copyright should be changed generally here, there's no reason a drawing of a mouse should stay copyrighted for decades after it's original creator passed away . Imagine if copyright at works went into the public domain after 25 years. So many books, albums, and games are in this bizarre limbo where the rights holders may no longer exist, but they can't be freely distributed due to copyright laws. Or even if the rights holder does exist, they might have no interest in releasing the material due to current creative differences ( or licensing, tons of video games based around other intellectual property will never be released again).

injb 2y ago
If it's just a drawing of a mouse, then anyone can create the same value by just drawing a different mouse. Of course, you can't because of the millions of dollars that have been pumped into that particular mouse. That investment is what the copyright laws are protecting. I would say that if something doesn't get published when there is a guaranteed, government-backed monopoly in place, then it's even less likely to get published when there isn't. I don't think it's common for stuff to go unpublished when no one can find the copyright holder. In that case, just publish it and wait to see who complains.
- 999900000999 2y ago
  I guarantee monopoly is fine, but does JK Rowling really need another billion dollars off of book she wrote 30 years ago. She would be just fine if Harry Potter was public domain after a modest 25 years. Keep in mind that would only apply to the original book, if Warner Brothers makes another movie that would be under its own 25-year copyright. What we have now is this weird system where so much of our collective heritage is basically walled off. Mega Corp doesn't like a movie they made 40 years ago, so now no one can ever watch it again?

injb 2y ago

If it's just a drawing of a mouse, then anyone can create the same value by just drawing a different mouse. Of course, you can't because of the millions of dollars that have been pumped into that particular mouse. That investment is what the copyright laws are protecting. I would say that if something doesn't get published when there is a guaranteed, government-backed monopoly in place, then it's even less likely to get published when there isn't. I don't think it's common for stuff to go unpublished when no one can find the copyright holder. In that case, just publish it and wait to see who complains.

999900000999 2y ago
I guarantee monopoly is fine, but does JK Rowling really need another billion dollars off of book she wrote 30 years ago. She would be just fine if Harry Potter was public domain after a modest 25 years. Keep in mind that would only apply to the original book, if Warner Brothers makes another movie that would be under its own 25-year copyright. What we have now is this weird system where so much of our collective heritage is basically walled off. Mega Corp doesn't like a movie they made 40 years ago, so now no one can ever watch it again?