3 ms·
Except that all works should be able to be built upon. Sherlock Holmes and Bilbo Baggins, Mickey Mouse and The Terminator, Atticus Finch and Charlie Bucket, ev
by MereInterest 12y ago
Except that all works should be able to be built upon. Sherlock Holmes and Bilbo Baggins, Mickey Mouse and The Terminator, Atticus Finch and Charlie Bucket, every one is a cultural idea.
It isn't just abandoned works. All cultural works should eventually be available to build upon.
- WalterBright 12y agoI agree, but my proposal is one that is much more likely to get through than the all-or-nothing approach.
- unreal37 12y agoFor the sake of a handful of older profitable works, all works will forever be held back from the public domain. Better that you concede Mickey Mouse and let the rest benefit society as public works.
- throwawaykf05 12y agoAnd yet there are multiple literary, movie and TV adaptations of all of those characters you mentioned that were not created by their original authors. Not to mention the tons and tons of crappy fanfic that nobody reads (except me, apparently). Also, let's not justify the desire for having things for free by calling somebody's artistic labor a "cultural idea" and implying it should be made available for free. If you find value in something, pay for it as the creators wish. If you wish to build on top of it, license it.
- MereInterest 12y agoHow far back does it go, and how far forward to creators' monopolies last? Should a license fee be paid whenever somebody references War of the Worlds? How about Shakespeare? Small-budget adaptations should be possible, as well as large-budget.