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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1563047" data-attributes="member: 143">James H sort of beat me to the punch, but I wanted to address that same quote.  IP law does not provide for equal opportunity; in fact, the monopolies in the IP distribution industries (book publishing, music, radio, movies) are such that it is extremely difficult for new talent to break in (not impossible, but very difficult).  I know something of the publishing industry, as I've published some NF articles while I was in grad school and have tried to sell various novels over the years.  Salon had a great article about the marginalization of the mid-range author, and the cutthroat nature of publishing today; I'd link but I believe that the article is in their subscription section.  I personally don't think that removing copyright from corporate control would be a bad thing.  Here's what I'd do, if it were up to me:1. Copyrights could only be held by individuals (or groups of individuals, on collaborative projects) and would be non-transferable.  Individuals could contract with corporations to distribute their material, but the ultimate rights would reside with the individual. 2. Initial copyright would be automatic and would have a term of 10 years.  After 10 years, you could apply for a 10 year extension for a fee of $100.  After those ten years are up, you could get another 10 year extension for a fee of $1000.  Finally, you could get one last extension for $10000.  After 40 years the item automatically reverts to the public domain.  3. The penalties for the illegal distribution of copyrighted material would be a fine of up ten times the cost of sale of the physical version of that product.  I'm still working out in my mind if that would be a liability capturable via private civil suit, or a fine imposed and collected by the Copyright Office (1/2 to go to the owner of the copyright, 1/2 to go to the CO for its operations). (okay, #4 is my "down the road/wish list item, take it as such) 4. Upon reversion of the item into the public domain, the Copyright Office would pay the Library of Congress to digitize the content (if not already digital) and place it upon a central public server for Web access.  This would be financed by the copyright fees noted above, and, if needed, by a 1 cent tax upon the sale of copyrighted material.  Materials too large and/or unwieldy for digitization/Web storage (such as a DVD movie) could be archived according to the usual means currently used by LoC and made freely available to the public for the cost of copying/mailing it.  Anyone could take such items and host them themselves, of course.  Perhaps the CO/LoC could establish a network of servers (at universities, etc.) who could host items that the LoC server would not be able to directly support.</blockquote>

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