> From: Donald Keenan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > This is a good example of why copyright law has to be reformed to > conform with the original intent to benefit the public good over the > private interests of the copyright holder(s).
I agree, but sadly it's been made clear quite recently that the public's interest is WOEFULLY underrepresented in the courts. > On the other hand...do we want to see Mickey Mouse go public domain? Yes. Yes, we do. Because they've had PLENTY of time to exploit and profit from it, and because it is important that things DO eventually go into the public domain -- it allows people to freely build on, expand and improve those things (and yes, abuse them -- but hey, how many parodies of songs from the 1920s do you still hear these days? The abuse goes away in time). IIRC, the standard when I was growing up was "50 years past the author's life." That is enough time for TWO further generations to profit from one good idea. After that, it should be society's turn to profit. The recent abomination that is the Sonny Bono Act will rob the world of many scientific advances if it stands. It's not just Mickey Mouse that gets into the public domain you know -- there's medicine too. Think about that. _Chas_ Come to ... The CHASbah! http://thechasbah.blogspot.com "Best Documentary EVER," Assoc. of Documentary Filmmakers: http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
