Further thoughts on #copyright

As I had thought it would, the discussion on #copyright has continued throughout the day.  I have mostly just been replying to @graemelambert of the Pirate Party who asked why I thought copyright should be extendable.

He also stated that he felt that 10 years was long enough for an author to take advantage of their work.

I had no ready replys to these questions, except to suggest that series of books such as The Wheel of Time, or Patrick O'Brien's novels are made possiable by the application of a long lasting copyright.

Having considered this angle a little more I suspect that fictional characters may be protected by Interlectual Property rights,  which I suspect Graeme may like less than copyright, although I am happy to admit to this only being a suspicion based on nothing more than his being a member of the Pirate Party, and my belief that this is the party line on such things.

In any case, I have come up with a stronger reason for allowing copyright to be extended. The rights of a creator to control how their works are used. Once again, I cannot see that Graeme will agree with me. If an author creates a fantastic new story, say J K Rowling and the Harry Potter series, is it fair that just by the film studios waiting the 10 years he suggests copyright should last, they can create a multi million dollar film, with no money going to the person that initially created the universe they are using?

I believe that the proposal that I put forward for copyright reform helps to ensure that this would not become an issue. It doesn't just hand this to the creator on a plate. They have to work to protect their rights, but they are available to protect if they want to. It also makes exploitation of the creators harder, as they can just fail to reregister their copyright if they are getting no benefit from their work.

I again seem to have written this rather too late, and whilst tired. I hope it makes sense and gets what I felt needed clarification over, rather than muddying the water further.

Once again, sleep well!
@MrDrem