patrick.net

Don't let corporations hold copyrights. Make them lease them from original writers for periods not to exceed 5 years. If an author's work becomes damn popular after 5 years of being under contract to corporate X for far less its value (as is typical), the author gets to make far more money going with another corporation for the next 5 years.

As a side benefit, corporations like Disney will be lobbying for shorter copyright periods.

I like that!

The original writer won't complain about not being able to sell the copyright, because they are doing to get money from their lease.

And corporations would indeed lobby for shorter copyright periods. They will do whatever is in their interest and say fuck the public.

What about full-time employees of corporations though? For complex projects (think software) corporations would have a hell of a time tracking each specific employee's copyright.

The original writer won't complain about not being able to sell the copyright, because they are doing to get money from their lease.

Yep, original writers tend to get majorly fucked in the current system.

What about full-time employees of corporations though? For complex projects (think software) corporations would have a hell of a time tracking each specific employee's copyright.

Same ways that the pirates did it, by shares. Want me to work 70 hours a week for several years, OK, but I get an 8% share. Use a trust fund to manage the copyright.

Oh, and if it is too "difficult" to determine who contributed what, then no copyright is awarded for the work. After all, the entire purpose of copyright is to protect and encourage the individual creator, not corporations.

My beef with copyright is that every copyright - including artistic ones - stand on the shoulders of giants. Most of those giants never received a dime, many died in poverty, but their concepts changed the world. Yet the derivatives from them are copyrighted for a century now?!

Mickey Mouse was also inspired by another artist's character.

I dislike the phrase "Intellectual Property" because it's an oxymoron. Ideas are abstract concepts, not property, which must be tangible.

Copyrights, according to the Constitution, exist to encourage the arts and sciences - that's great, we can have copyrights - but they don't exist solely as a means to generate Rents, like "IP" advocates want to change (through activist judges) it to.

http://gma.yahoo.com/racy-texas-restaurant-chain-trademarks-breastaurant-term-222330069.html

Doug Guller, CEO of ATX Brands LLC, which owns Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill, announced today he has trademarked the term "breastaurant" through the United States Patent and Trademark Office, meaning his company is the only one who can describe itself with the term.

zzyzzx says

Doug Guller, CEO of ATX Brands LLC, which owns Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill, announced today he has trademarked the term "breastaurant" through the United States Patent and Trademark Office, meaning his company is the only one who can describe itself with the term.

Then can I coin the term "boobateur" as the boob who would call his "Eating" establishment "breastaurant"?

Probably the same creep that thinks. "Your wife is hot, better call ABC air conditioner service." is suitable advertisement. Like I would call those bastards up, to go sniff around my wife and kids at home, while I 'm at work.
Why don't these proprietors just put them selves on a huge billboard with their Dicks whipped out. If they honestly believe Sex sells.

"Sex sales, now let's go find some and sell it!"

Didn't Gene Simmons copyright "OJ"? Ronnie Dio said he did, so that's why on commercials they keep saying "orange juice" these days, so they don't have to ay Gene.

Is that Muddy Waters?

That was good

Yup the life time of the author + 70 is too long.

It is somewhat specious to think that ideas come solely from one individual. Adam Smith or Issac Newton borrowed heavily from their contemporaries...