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Copyright laws

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bmw
Posts: 6670
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 1:02 am

Copyright laws

Post by bmw » Sat Aug 03, 2019 10:43 am

As a preliminary matter, Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the US Constitution reads as follows:
[Congress shall have the power] To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.
I guess I've never read that or paid any attention to that clause before, but one thing strikes me immediately upon reading it - the purpose of copyright laws is not to protect an individual's right to profit from his/her work; rather, the purpose is that of advancing science and art in broader society. Protecting the individual is only a means to this end.

Viewed in that light, do you think that today's copyright laws are over-broad? At what point does giving too many protections to the individual actually hamper the advancement of science and arts? I find the 70 years plus life of the author to be excessive and actually counter-productive to the original intent. Stuff should end up in the public domain in a far shorter time - I think the original 28 years seems far more reasonable.



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