

 Public Domain Day 2014: The fight for the public domain is on now  - beshrkayali
http://everybodyslibraries.com/2014/01/01/public-domain-day-2014-the-fight-for-the-public-domain-is-on-now/

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lukifer
"To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited
Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective
Writings and Discoveries;"

I challenge anyone to honestly make the claim that a copyright that lasts 100
years after death aids the progress of science and useful arts.

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ern
I am generally in favor of reduced copyright terms, as a consumer of these
works, but the thought has crossed my mind, that authors may be motivated, to
some extent, by the idea that they are leaving a long-term financial legacy.

I come from an extended family that once had substantial commercial real-
estate holdings, mostly bought by my great-grandfather, and my grandfather and
his brothers, with the explicit intention that these properties would help to
support multiple generations of descendents . Most of them were lost, but even
now, I derive a small income from a share in one of the properties, that I am
grateful for, since I apply it for the benefit of my own children.

Although the real-estate/IP analogy does break down at some point, should
authors of works not have the right to ensure that their works benefit their
granchildren, and great-grandchildren? Does this help to motivate at least
some of them? These are not rhetorical questions, and it would be interesting
to see what the answer is.

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drakaal
To get more stuff in to the public domain we just need to enact mandatory
euthanasia laws.

