5 ms·

We're stopping people from growing and contributing to the mythos in favor of rewarding the original creators. But for current law the original creators are lon

We're stopping people from growing and contributing to the mythos in favor of rewarding the original creators. But for current law the original creators are long dead by the copyright expiration date. No fantasy author in their right mind would think "Wow, my work will stop being censored only 90 years from now, even though I will be dead! I will refrain from writing it because my ancestors will make less money."

tzs 11y ago
A fantasy author is getting a little bit too caught up in their fantasy world and forgetting how the real world works if they they think their decisions now will affect how much money their ancestors will make. :-)
rayiner 11y ago
Why don't fantasy authors release their works into the public domain after a certain length of time?
- mordocai 11y ago
  The publishers won't agree to such a thing and, as was argued in other parts of this thread, that means for most authors that they just can't do it.
- e12e 11y ago
  As others have commented, this goes against all the established business practices. Even Baen books, that release some books[1] (mostly the first in a series) for no cost, and drm free, doesn't give away copyright to the commons. If people are to live from writing books, the advance for writing books need to come from somewhere. Crowd funding might be one viable way forward -- I've funded a few graphic novels on kickstarter -- but I don't think any of those have released the work under a CC0 or similar license (I would have been even more exited to fund them if they did). One problem is that when something is published, it is under copyright. So copyright/the license will need to be changed. I suppose one could print a license text in a book/comic stating that "all rights are reserved until 2020, at which point this work shall be free under a CC0 license". But it will only be under a CC0 license as long as the original author/publisher maintains copyright. What happens if someone buys the copyright? I suppose the license can't be revoked (that'd be the end of copyleft software) -- but it could create some confusion if a second instalment was released under stricter copyright. Not to mention the need for a trademark license (as I understand it, that's needed for things like characters?). I don't think I own any notable works of fiction that are recent and not under traditional copyright. I have purchased some music that is, and eg. the TV series "Pioneer One"[2]. Well, I suppose I have a copy of some of Cory Doctorow's novels, but I haven't gotten around to reading them yet -- nor have I bought any of them (yet) either. [1] https://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-free-library.aspx https://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-free-library.aspx [2] http://vodo.net/joshbernhard/pioneerone/ http://vodo.net/joshbernhard/pioneerone/
- deciplex 11y ago
  The only way they would not be leaving money on the table is if their work was so irrelevant that making it public domain would be a waste of time anyway.

tzs 11y ago

A fantasy author is getting a little bit too caught up in their fantasy world and forgetting how the real world works if they they think their decisions now will affect how much money their ancestors will make. :-)

rayiner 11y ago

Why don't fantasy authors release their works into the public domain after a certain length of time?

mordocai 11y ago
The publishers won't agree to such a thing and, as was argued in other parts of this thread, that means for most authors that they just can't do it.
e12e 11y ago
As others have commented, this goes against all the established business practices. Even Baen books, that release some books[1] (mostly the first in a series) for no cost, and drm free, doesn't give away copyright to the commons. If people are to live from writing books, the advance for writing books need to come from somewhere. Crowd funding might be one viable way forward -- I've funded a few graphic novels on kickstarter -- but I don't think any of those have released the work under a CC0 or similar license (I would have been even more exited to fund them if they did). One problem is that when something is published, it is under copyright. So copyright/the license will need to be changed. I suppose one could print a license text in a book/comic stating that "all rights are reserved until 2020, at which point this work shall be free under a CC0 license". But it will only be under a CC0 license as long as the original author/publisher maintains copyright. What happens if someone buys the copyright? I suppose the license can't be revoked (that'd be the end of copyleft software) -- but it could create some confusion if a second instalment was released under stricter copyright. Not to mention the need for a trademark license (as I understand it, that's needed for things like characters?). I don't think I own any notable works of fiction that are recent and not under traditional copyright. I have purchased some music that is, and eg. the TV series "Pioneer One"[2]. Well, I suppose I have a copy of some of Cory Doctorow's novels, but I haven't gotten around to reading them yet -- nor have I bought any of them (yet) either. [1] https://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-free-library.aspx https://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-free-library.aspx [2] http://vodo.net/joshbernhard/pioneerone/ http://vodo.net/joshbernhard/pioneerone/
deciplex 11y ago
The only way they would not be leaving money on the table is if their work was so irrelevant that making it public domain would be a waste of time anyway.