TBH, I would imagine that the reason that there is no requirement to renew copyright is because Big Content knows people are lazy and that the more content from

TBH, I would imagine that the reason that there is no requirement to renew copyright is because Big Content knows people are lazy and that the more content from the past stays copyrighted by default (even if the author doesn't care to assert that right) means there will be less free content to compete for attention in the future. Not requiring formal registration and renewal is a clear attempt to reduce the commons, not merely protect the copyrights owned by Big Content.