Re: Neat summary of Google strategy

From: "Erica Frank"

> On 6/22/09, Mary E Tyler <[email protected]> wrote:
>>  > Perhaps someone can structure an argument that will 
>> actually
>>  > offer a way ahead on term; all solutions otherwise are
>>  > creative ;-); but we need definitive reasons.
>>
>> The fee doesn't have to be huge. It can be nominal: $30 
>> every 15 years
>>  isn't so much to ask. My pockets are empty and it won't 
>> break me.
>
> I'd like to see staggered fees.
>
> First 15 years: Free. Everyone's stuff is copyrighted 
> immediately, and
> they have a bit more than a decade to decide whether 
> there's any
> commercial value in it. Or pay base fee, $30-50, to 
> register for full
> legal rights.
>
> 15-30 years: Pay nominal reg fee, $30-50, to maintain 
> copyright. At
> this point, your high school essays and letters to Santa 
> drop into the
> public domain, and nobody cares.
>
> 30-45 years: Pay $250 fee to extend copyright. If you're 
> still making
> money on it--a published book, potentially a movie 
> contract in the
> wings--it's worth renewing. If it was a one-hit wonder 
> song 28 years
> ago, you might let it drop; sure, that means someone else 
> could pick
> it up, but then again, you could re-record it yourself if 
> it gets
> popular again.
>
> 45-60 years:Pay $1000 to renew copyright. The Tolkein 
> estate would do
> this; they're still putting out new editions of the same 
> works. Elvis'
> estate would also pay for this. Mid-list authors drop into 
> the public
> domain... renewals should contain the notion that they 
> can't be
> transferred, in order to prevent publishers from grabbing 
> monopolies.
> Extra fees go to enhance public libraries or fund 
> distribution of
> various public-domain works.
>
> 60-75 years: Pay $5000 to renew. Disney maintains control 
> of Fantasia.
> Fanatic authors or their heirs keep their books out of the 
> public
> domain. Everyone else's works go public.
>
> 75-100 years: Pay $10,000 to renew. Disney arranges 
> special re-release
> of Fantasia to fund its continued copyright protection.
>
> 100-125 years: Pay $50,000 to renew. Disney buys a new 
> wing for the
> library of congress.
>
erica,

I like the wit in your solution. The drawback is that I see 
an effect of strengthening big business against the rest of 
us.

But there is another deeper point that worries me greatly. 
It is immersion in the money-is-everything culture. This is 
not the place to develop that, but as writers, artists and 
publishers shouldn't we have great awareness of how easily 
distortions occur if money leads principle?

Joseph Harris  -  Debt Control Man
author: Control Your Debt Crisis on Your Own Terms
blog: http://debtcontrolman.wordpress.com
site: http://www.controlyourdebtcrisis.co.uk 



------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------
Post a message:   ebook-community [[at]] *
Unsubscribe:      ebook-community-unsubscribe [[at]] *
Switch to digest: ebook-community-digest [[at]] *
Switch to normal: ebook-community-normal [[at]] *
Put mail on hold: ebook-community-nomail [[at]] *
Administrator:    ebook-community-owner [[at]] *

(* == yahoogroups.com)
-------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:[email protected] 
    mailto:ebook-community-fullfeatured-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ebook-community-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/