I can only disagree. Copyright laws are a good idea, they are needed to protect creators. But not all copyright laws are a good idea. We want to protect creators not because we just happen to like them, but because they create cultural products that are a benefit to society. Copyright laws pay the artists by giving them a temporary monopoly on their works, but we should pay them what is fair, and not more. That's why that monopoly given to the artist must have a deadline.<br>
<br>It is true that a given cultural product (for example a song or a book) can be forgotten until 30 years later it's rescued. In PIRATA (Spanish PP) we have discussed to give the absolute monopoly on their works to the artists for a limited time, for example 20 years, and after that until they die they'll only receive a small percentage of revenues when it's used for profit.<br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 6:50 PM, Bernhard Schillo <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:b.schillo@gmx.net">b.schillo@gmx.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Richard Stallman schrieb:<div class="im"><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Because of these reasons my suggestion for a duration of copyright is the lifetime of the crator PLUS 15 years after creation of the work. For example when the artist dies at an age of 80 years and wrote a song at the age of 75 years, the song would be copyrightet 10 years after his death.<br>
<br>
And if he writes a song at the age of 20 and lives to be 80,<br>
that song will be copyrighted for 90 years. That is too long.<br>
It means society loses the benefit of<br>
possible modified versions that might be interesting,<br>
and other artists who want to make them are stifled.<br>
<br>
It is a mistake to judge copyright issues primarily in terms of what<br>
might be good for the copyright holder. The issue is what's good for<br>
the public.<br>
</blockquote>
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But how can copyright be good for the public at all? It is never good for the public. When we accept a "little bit" of copyright, then the reason for this can only be, that it's good for the artist - to get him to create something (which is good for the public...). But i as an composer and writer of music and lyrics would never again produce anything if i had to cope with the situation, that i got to have to make money with my creations in a short period and if i don't make it, then somebody else (probably a big company), can use it the way he wants.<br>
<br>
In this context we also have to talk about the right to contradict the defacement of the creation, which in germany is regulated by the "Urheberpersönlichkeitsrecht", in english the "moral rights", like the dictionary told me. Should these rights last longer than the exploitation laws? Can i contradict a special usage of my creation with them?<br>
<br>
For that reasons i have suggested a short term aim and a long term aim. The long term aim should be the abolishing of copyrights and the short term aim should be the reducing them to the time i suggested and the full legalizing of the private copy.<br>
<br>
I fully agree with you, that e.g. 90 Years of copyright is too long, if a creation got really famous. Then the creator got paid and the creation has become a folktune (for example). So the "folk" should be able to use it. I think that's your point. But to be fair to the creators (and i think that's nessecary if we don't want to abolish copyright completely), there are just two possibilitys: Either copyright is orientated on the lifespan of the creator or it's orientated on the success (when a creation is successfull and the creator got paid, then release it in the public domain). I can't imagine a way to measure the success like nessecary for possibility two, so in my opinion there only remains possibility one.<br>
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Regards<br><font color="#888888">
Bernhard Schillo</font><div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
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