50:), whether the work has been published or not, and whether the work was created by an individual or a corporation. In most of the world, the default length of copyright is the life of the author plus either 50 or 70 years. In the United States, the term for most existing works is a fixed number of years after the date of creation or publication. In most countries (for example, the United States and the United Kingdom) copyright expires at the end of the calendar year in question.
834:
of 'originals' decline (for example as a result of digitization) (b) technological change which reduces costs of production may imply a decrease or a decrease in optimal levels of protection (this contrasts with a large number of commentators, particularly in the copyright industries, who have argued that such change necessitates increases in protection) (c) the optimal level of copyright will, in general, fall over time as the stock of work increases.
54:
used to require copyrights to be renewed after 28 years to stay in force, and formerly required a copyright notice upon first publication to gain coverage. In Italy and France, there were post-wartime extensions that could increase the term by approximately six years in Italy and up to about 14 in France. Many countries have extended the length of their copyright terms (sometimes
877:
The optimal term of copyright has been a matter for extensive debate over the last decade. Based on a novel approach we derive an explicit formula which characterises the optimal term as a function of a few key and, most importantly, empirically-estimable parameters. Using existing data on recordings
833:
The optimal level for copyright has been a matter for extensive debate over the last decade. Using a parsimonious theoretical model this paper contributes several new results of relevance to this debate. In particular we demonstrate that (a) optimal copyright is likely to fall as the production costs
567:
The notion that lengthening copyright increases creativity is questionable, however. Authors and artists do not generally consult the statute books before deciding whether or not to pick up pen or paintbrush. And overlong copyrights often limit, rather than encourage, a work's dissemination, impact
53:
The length and requirements for copyright duration are subject to change by legislation, and since the early 20th century there have been a number of adjustments made in various countries, which can make determining the copyright duration in a given country difficult. For example, the United States
681:
TechDirt highlights research showing that extending copyrights increases prices and limits dissemination of knowledge, while also pointing out that people who believe patents cause innovation are simply confusing correlation with causation. If anything, patents inhibit
184:
The advantages arising from a system of copyright are obvious. It is desirable that we should have a supply of good books: we cannot have such a supply unless men of letters are liberally remunerated; and the least objectionable way of remunerating them is by means of
1039:
There is some argument going on about for how long a copyright holder should be able to charge exclusively for their own work, before it enters the public domain. John Walker argues that perhaps a good cutoff would be 20 years before an 'idea' enters the public
124:
For the millions of older copyrighted works of less enduring popularity, it is difficult, or impossible, to trace the copyright ownership and determine who holds the particular rights that would have to be licensed for the use of the work. The problem of such
878:
and books we obtain a point estimate of around 15 years for optimal copyright term with a 99% confidence interval extending up to 38 years. This is substantially shorter than any current copyright term and implies that existing terms are too long.
87:
into the public domain. He argued, culturally important dissemination, recasting, or incorporation into new expression is prevented due "to the copyright holder's veto". As examples he gave the adaption of the plot from novels such as
941:... games more than a couple of decades old aren't entering the public domain. Twenty years was a fairly arbitrary number, one that seems to make sense in the context of games' lives, but it could be twenty-five, thirty.
280:
had gifted the copyright to the work to the hospital in 1929. The different copyright terms in the various jurisdictions has led to some disputes involving derivative works created and/or sold elsewhere in the world.
909:
As someone who desperately pines for the PD model that drove creativity before the copyright industry malevolently took over the planet, it saddens my heart that a game two decades old isn't released into the
258:
analysed with a simulated model the relationship of scientific knowledge creation to copyright term length and concluded a decreased knowledge production on copyright term increases for the analysed context.
219:
that "longer copyrights raise the costs of accessing intellectual assets for consumers and other firms, which may discourage the diffusion of knowledge and decelerate the pace of cumulative innovation and
145:
Discussions about the optimal length of the copyright term (e.g. regarding the copyright's incentive for creative production) is a significant part of public and scientific discourse and reception.
34:
is the length of time copyright subsists in a work before it passes into the public domain. In most of the world, this length of time is the life of the author plus either 50 or 70 years.
644:
241:
and the suggestion of letting them enter the public domain after 20 years raised a controversial public debate about copyright terms and the public domain between game industry veterans
168:
At this point, the debate in the House of
Commons fell into farce because there were claims by other speakers that they had no doubts (based on their own personal knowledge) that
696:
62:, establish minimum terms for copyrights, but these only apply to the signatory countries, and individual countries may grant longer terms than those set out in a treaty.
204:
scientifically quantified the optimal copyright term length at 15 years, significantly shorter than any currently existing copyright term, via an economical model with
189:
Liebowitz describes use of the term monopoly in relation to copyright as misleading, but "rhetorically effective"; while Towse writes that a more appropriate term is '
581:
180:
It is also worth noting that
Macaulay is arguing here against term extension, he is not arguing against copyright. This point is well made by Macaulay himself:
42:
Copyright subsists for a variety of lengths in different jurisdictions. The length of the term can depend on several factors, including the type of work (e.g.
524:
254:
1076:
806:
1178:
1028:
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850:
164:
is hard to find – Ricketson reports that following
Macaulay's claims that the heirs of certain authors would block publication of their works:
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1137:
693:
891:
923:
610:
160:
and as such has generally negative effects on society. Although
Macaulay's speech is widely reported, the reaction to it in the
1062:
333:
269:
176:'s descendants would still have done the right thing and allowed reprinting, however much they abhorred their ancestors' works!
161:
153:
109:
954:
411:
544:
The prevailing trend in most simulations was that increasing the copyright term resulted decreased knowledge production.
1202:
366:
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464:
589:
17:
993:"@wickerwaka The whole thing, really. But especially that. Whoever allowed that to be printed should be fired"
1207:
221:
1080:
594:
I am concerned that both patent and copyright protection, though particularly the former, may be excessive.
348:
289:
Several charts have been made to help decipher the various copyright terms in the United States, such as:
273:
129:
stems from the extension of copyright term and the lack of requirement for the copyright owner to renew or
84:
80:
861:
817:
149:
439:
1052:
721:
664:"John Lennon's lesson for public-domain innovation - IP protection hurting, not helping, US and UK"
343:
328:
242:
190:
787:
Towse, Ruth (1999). "Copyright, risk and the artist: an economic approach to policy for artists".
264:
1212:
1197:
857:
813:
645:"New Research: Extending Copyright Massively Increases Prices, Limits Dissemination Of Knowledge"
201:
130:
1161:"Copyright Flowchart: Flowchart for determining when U.S. copyrights in fixed works expire"
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401:
370:
304:, depicted above, which shows expansion of U.S. copyright law (November 27, 2008)
557:"Copyright and wrong: Why the rules on copyright need to return to their roots"
234:
1123:
Vectorization of Tom Bell's graph, which shows expansion of U.S. copyright law
582:"Do patent and copyright law restrict competition and creativity excessively?"
520:"Does Longer Copyright Protection Help or Hurt Scientific Knowledge Creation?"
1191:
846:
802:
561:
215:
concluded in a paper on the impact of the copyright extension on the
British
197:
173:
105:
76:
500:
421:
148:
One of the earlier and often cited positions is from the
British politician
668:
277:
126:
101:
1053:"Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988: Section 301: Schedule 6"
807:"Optimal Copyright over Time: Technological Change and the Stock of Works"
612:
Handbook on the
Economics of Copyright: A Guide for Students and Teachers
556:
212:
205:
1158:
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519:
480:
238:
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96:
75:
The extension of copyright term imposes tangible restrictions on the
1104:"Copyright Term Chart: Trend of Maximum U.S. General Copyright Term"
133:. In order to tackle this perceived problem some jurisdictions have
959:
157:
1008:
744:
International Review of
Intellectual Property and Competition Law
1120:
387:
The
Duration of Copyright and Rights in Performances Regulations
383:"Amendments of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988"
1121:
Clorox (diskussion) & Bell, Tom. W. (November 27, 2008).
772:
Liebowitz, Stan (2015). "A critique of copyright criticism".
479:
Li, Xing; MacGarvie, Megan; Moser, Petra (February 9, 2018).
47:
1138:"Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States"
481:"Dead poets' property: how does copyright influence price?"
1079:. Stanford Center for Internet and Society. Archived from
1029:"Copyright, trademark & money in a creative industry"
851:"Forever minus a day? Calculating optimal copyright term"
309:
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
137:
to allow use of orphaned works, after diligent searches.
1077:"Emily Somma v. GOSH [Peter Pan case] Case Page"
705:
Macaulay, Thomas
Babington (1967). Young, G. M. (ed.).
70:
892:"GOG's Time Machine Sale Lets You CONTROL TIME ITSELF"
924:"Editorial: Why Games Should Enter The Public Domain"
525:
Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation
255:
Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation
761:. Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts. p. 232.
119:
1159:Sunstein, Kann, Murphy & Timbers LLP (2014).
79:. For instance, scholar Neil Netanel argued that
1189:
1135:
518:Haydari, Shahram; Smead, Rory (March 31, 2015).
478:
403:Copyright: Sacred Text, Technology, and the DMCA
268:is subject in the UK to a special clause in the
83:1998 prevented the entering of works central to
742:Ricketson, Sam (1992). "The copyright term".
474:
472:
1177:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
1101:
517:
466:Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, s44B
314:Sunstein, Kann, Murphy & Timbers, LLP's
295:Trend of Maximum U.S. General Copyright Term
973:: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
444:. Oxford University Press US. p. 200.
140:
955:"Why Games Should Be In the Public Domain"
952:
469:
433:
431:
265:Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up
1017:article, particularly its first sentence)
987:
771:
741:
661:
537:
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789:International Journal of Cultural Policy
756:
704:
604:
602:
406:. Kluwer Law International. p. 63.
845:
801:
642:
513:
511:
437:
428:
252:A paper published in March 2015 in the
27:Length of time that copyright continues
14:
1190:
1065:, 1988 c. 48 (s. 301)(sch. 6)
1026:
921:
889:
580:Posner, Richard (September 30, 2012).
579:
399:
270:Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988
37:
786:
719:
599:
1136:Hirtle, Peter B. (January 1, 2015).
609:Watt, Richard (September 26, 2014).
608:
508:
152:who argued in an 1841 speech in the
71:Copyright term and the public domain
58:). International treaties, like the
757:Macaulay, Thomas Babington (1860).
643:Masnick, Mike (February 13, 2013).
334:List of countries' copyright length
100:, the refashion of characters like
24:
1027:Gaynor, Steve (February 3, 2014).
276:a right to royalty in perpetuity.
25:
1224:
922:Walker, John (February 3, 2014).
890:Walker, John (January 29, 2014).
302:Vectorization of Tom Bell's graph
590:University of Chicago Law School
206:empirically-estimable parameters
110:Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
1152:
1129:
1114:
1095:
1069:
1045:
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981:
953:Robotron23 (February 4, 2014).
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735:
713:
687:
662:Matt Asay (February 18, 2013).
655:
636:
233:article about the existence of
120:Copyright term and orphan works
65:
1165:WINNING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY®
1102:Bell, Tom W. (July 23, 2008).
720:Boyle, James (July 24, 2014).
694:"Opposing Copyright Extension"
573:
549:
458:
393:
375:
360:
112:" for documentaries about the
13:
1:
354:
349:Copyright Term Extension Act
274:Great Ormond Street Hospital
135:revised their copyright laws
81:Copyright Term Extension Act
7:
709:. Harvard University Press.
615:. Edward Elgar Publishing.
322:
85:cultural heritage of the US
10:
1229:
699:December 24, 2016, at the
1203:Intellectual property law
759:Speeches of Lord Macaulay
488:RAND Journal of Economics
284:
262:As a curiosity, the work
150:Thomas Babington Macaulay
344:Rule of the shorter term
329:History of copyright law
191:monopolistic competition
141:Reception and discussion
131:register their copyright
858:University of Cambridge
814:University of Cambridge
791:. 6:1:91: 105 (note 9).
774:George Mason Law Review
722:"Macaulay on Copyright"
501:10.1111/1756-2171.12223
202:University of Cambridge
586:The Becker-Posner Blog
438:Netanel, Neil (2008).
400:Nimmer, David (2003).
300:Clorox (diskussion)'s
187:
178:
1148:on February 26, 2015.
1063:The National Archives
746:(753). Springer: 767.
217:Copyright Act of 1814
182:
166:
1208:Monopoly (economics)
1015:Rock, Paper, Shotgun
991:(January 29, 2014).
929:Rock, Paper, Shotgun
897:Rock, Paper, Shotgun
823:on February 21, 2013
249:, and Steve Gaynor.
230:Rock, Paper, Shotgun
196:In 2009, a paper by
156:that copyright is a
1083:on October 27, 2006
867:on January 12, 2013
805:(October 1, 2007).
539:10.18564/jasss.2720
441:Copyright's paradox
339:Perpetual copyright
316:Copyright Flowchart
44:musical composition
38:Length of copyright
1058:legislation.gov.uk
1013:(referring to the
989:Broussard, George
307:Peter B. Hirtle's
849:(June 15, 2009).
729:The Public Domain
565:. April 8, 2010.
413:978-90-411-8876-2
222:learning-by-doing
16:(Redirected from
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211:In 2013 scholar
162:House of Commons
154:House of Commons
114:Great Depression
104:, or the use of
91:The Great Gatsby
60:Berne Convention
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127:orphan works
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108:songs like "
102:Mickey Mouse
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66:Implications
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41:
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1142:Cornell.edu
935:January 30,
903:January 30,
871:January 11,
827:January 11,
682:innovation.
628:January 11,
243:John Walker
239:video games
213:Petra Moser
1192:Categories
1003:January 7,
675:January 2,
371:§ 305
355:References
227:In 2014 a
185:copyright.
170:Richardson
1034:Gamasutra
532:(2): 23.
97:Peter Pan
1173:cite web
969:cite web
960:Slashdot
697:Archived
649:TechDirt
422:50606064
323:See also
237:classic
235:orphaned
158:monopoly
1040:domain.
1009:Twitter
389:. 1995.
174:Boswell
1087:May 8,
910:world.
725:(blog)
619:
448:
420:
410:
369:
318:(2014)
311:(2015)
285:Charts
997:Tweet
865:(PDF)
854:(PDF)
821:(PDF)
810:(PDF)
484:(PDF)
48:novel
1179:link
1089:2010
1005:2019
975:link
937:2016
905:2016
873:2015
829:2015
677:2017
630:2015
617:ISBN
446:ISBN
418:OCLC
408:ISBN
172:and
94:and
30:The
534:doi
496:doi
224:."
200:of
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