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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dire Bare" data-source="post: 7689852" data-attributes="member: 18182">I think without copyright protections, we most certainly would have gotten Star Wars (OT), and it would most certainly be as beloved and important as it is today in the real world. But we would not have gotten the Star Wars Expanded Universe for Disney to later abandon and begin anew. We would not have gotten the prequel trilogy, and we would not have gotten The Force Awakens . . . . or, at least, the situation would be very different than it is now.Is this a good thing? A bad thing? I could certainly do without the prequel trilogy, awesome laser sword combat aside. I garnered a lot of enjoyment out of the Star Wars EU, although like most shared worlds, a lot of it was crap. If anyone could do whatever they want with the Star Wars story, there would be a metric ton of crappy fan imitation, but there would also possibly be some gems that would rise to the top of the pile. As our discussion continues, I begin to wonder if the current system really isn't better at protecting artistic expression and promoting the arts, but simply making large franchises into a sort of artistic comfort food. I've read a lot of quality Forgotten Realms novels over the years, but I've also read more than a few crappy FR novels . . . but I've read them all, and will likely continue to do so. I don't base my FR reading habits on reviews, or the recommendations of friends, I just see the FR logo and I'm good to go. It's easy, it's comfortable. When I end up with a lousy novel, I sigh and tell myself the next one will be good (which is usually true) and I take enjoyment out of the official world growing in detail, even if the story I just read wasn't all that inspiring.If copyright/trademark/IP protection wasn't the law, would the Forgotten Realms even exist? Would I miss it? Would there be tons of "unofficial" derivative work I'd have to wade through, forcing me to become more discerning on what I read? Again, is this "good" or "bad"?I certainly think the current system has its advantages beyond making corporations happy, that artist's rights and arts promotion are certainly accounted for. But it certainly isn't perfect and goes too far in some ways. But pinning down how strong IP protections "should" be and how long they "should" last is way to tricky for me.</blockquote>

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