This article is an incoherent series of strawman arguments that doesn’t address any of the issues raised by copyright reform advocates. If the author can point to single serious article advocating for the removal of living creators’ rights to be credited and compensated for their work, I’d be amazed. Copyright reform advocates aren’t asking for the removal of copyright, just a rethinking of who it protects and whether this actually supports a creative economy.
5. Remix culture has always existed, however legally it is more fraught now than ever. See Blurred Lines, Land Down Under and many more instances where referencing a work, often in tribute, has resulted in legal action, despite the resulting works being completely different to the material sourced. Quotation and referencing is now a serious legal hazard for writers, artists and musicians.
4. The Little Prince is one of the most beloved books of all time. There are many, many works from the twentieth century that have fallen out of print, whose authors are long dead that have no possibility of re-exposure unless a publishing house sees fit to reprint.
3. Absolutely you should own copyright of works you create, I don’t see how this is even in question. I have yet to see a serious argument for removal of the right of creators to be paid and credited for their work.
2. Key term here is extension. If you are buying a book whose author died 60 years ago, the author is getting nothing.
- Of course copyright helps both artists and corporations. However, extended copyright terms overwhelmingly help corporations. It’s a question of balance. Why should corporations and estates receive royalties 70 years after the creator’s death? How does this support living authors and artistic creation? This is rentseeking, not an economy for cultural works.
I’m an artist. I love copyright as a principle, and I absolutely believe that all creators should be credited and paid for the use of their work. That doesn’t mean we can’t examine the current framework and think about how it might better balance the rights of creators, publishers and consumers.