Surely the point of copyright is to allow a person to have sole rights to commercialise a thing before it goes to the public domain.
If so, if they havent done that in the first 10/15 years, why should they get an extra 10/15 years?
Further, another issue of very long copyrights is preserving things you don't really have a right to preserve.
that successful videogame may still be around in 25 years. the one that wasn't so popular has much less chance of surviving.
And then you have the added complication of what was successful? a fixed term means you know when something is in the public domain.
personally, I think there should be registration and fees attached. if you want copyright protection for the first 5 years, pay a nominal fee. if you want more than that, pay exponentially more for each year.
If companies want to pay that tax, they can. if it isn't worth it, then it can go in the public domain.
Either way, at least you have a register of what is in, and out of copyright.
If so, if they havent done that in the first 10/15 years, why should they get an extra 10/15 years?
Further, another issue of very long copyrights is preserving things you don't really have a right to preserve.
that successful videogame may still be around in 25 years. the one that wasn't so popular has much less chance of surviving.
And then you have the added complication of what was successful? a fixed term means you know when something is in the public domain.
personally, I think there should be registration and fees attached. if you want copyright protection for the first 5 years, pay a nominal fee. if you want more than that, pay exponentially more for each year.
If companies want to pay that tax, they can. if it isn't worth it, then it can go in the public domain.
Either way, at least you have a register of what is in, and out of copyright.