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3 June 2003 
Copywrong
Agenda Bender says I should sign this petition advocating a law that would require a copyright holder to pay $1 to maintain ownership of their work beyond 50 years. PhotoDude does, too, but I think he's less serious.
Read where the petition says, “This legislation would strengthen the public domain without burdening copyright owners,” then imagine me at the age of 76, sorting through hundreds of images, trying to decide which ones I can afford to shell out a retirement buck for in order to retain the copyright, then dealing with the paperwork to file. And wondering why my property is subject to transference when the property of other 76 year olds is not.Gene Volokh also has an issue with the proposal. Maybe it would be a good idea if you just had to fill in a form listing all the works you still claimed ownership of. That would put truly abandoned works to the public domain but not require thousands of dollars to be paid by senior citizens who were very prolific in their youths.Then go sign his petition.
11:07 PM |