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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WizarDru" data-source="post: 1540901" data-attributes="member: 151">I'd disagree that the lion's share is in the first 10 years. Clearly, that wasn't the case for Tolkien, for example, and at that rate, authors like J.K. Rowling, Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin would be putting out books in a series whose first editions had already been released to the public domain. I didn't get into Harry Potter until the third book had come out, and just prior to the fourth book. I'm not sure that I see it as some great evil if the Tolkien family is able to pass their fathers work on as a legacy and a way to take care of his children, or that J.K. Rowling shouldn't be able to benefit from her works. None of this, of course, deals with works that are 'evergreen'. My early views of "I, Robot" make it look pretty bad...but even if it isn't much good, it will probably still result in some curious readers purchasing some of his work. I'm of two minds as to how long such things should be protected, really.  Should such works be eventually released to the public domain without fail? I can see reasons for either answer. Why, for example, should Mickey be 'free'?  Disney's still making money off of him.  On the other hand, more than half of Disney's movies are retelling of public domain tales...so I have no idea.</blockquote>