• SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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    11 months ago

    Totally agree. “Intellectual property” shouldn’t be a thing. Yes, writing a novel or recording a song is work, but so is building a house. Craftspersons don’t get royalties from people using the widgets that they make; they get paid only for the first sale of the product.

    That said, intangibles like written and recorded media are qualitatively different, in that they can be effortlessly copied. Without some sort of legal protection, creators wouldn’t be able to profit from even that first sale. A limited-term copyright is an okay compromise.

    But now that corporations can “own” intangible works nearly indefinitely, they’re getting greedy, and are applying that to physical objects that they sell through the subscription model. And it’s bullshit.

    Yes, absolutely, roll back copyright terms to 14 years.