Copyright and Authorship

What do you think the ownership rights for authors (individuals and corporations) should encompass?
I woul include all art and music and fiction and other reading, all film production, not to mention video and computer games. I would also include e-books, though I do not see how that could be enforced with effectiveness.



Where ought ownership to rest?
It should rest with the authors, but of course, WHO constitutes the authors? Copyright protections should go to individual authors, but there are corporate ones to consider. Most complex are the situations in which the individual authors, such as Disney, are transformed into corporate entities, and transformed claims for protection.


Are there cultural materials that should not be owned?

I would include libraries and museums, and information about our government that we have a right to know. The problem is that by privatizing this information, someone can deny us this right, at the very least through heavy fees. From what McLeod relates, soon, we would be in a serf-like situation when we will not be able even to go to any parks, as they will be owned privately. We would be restricted in our ability to read as access will be only to those who can pay the privatized libraries. Here easpecially we shouldpractivce Jefferson's"eternal vigilance."

What are the benefits and limitations of our current copyright and trademark laws for individual authors, corporate authors, society?
The authors have use of their work for their lifetimes plus many years after. The limitation is that after that, the copyright protection ends. Then, the power of the corporate authors comes to play as Disney, seeing its most important animals about to fall out of its control, pushed to have the copyrights extended. It would be very difficult for individual authors to do that. The corporate structure has a broader and more stable foundation, and longer reach of resources and networking capabilities. Society would reap benefits of strong expressions of culture, as in Disney, and in the films such as Star Wars. The limitation is that the laws restrict other expressions of culture

Copyright laws fight piracy of music. I am mindful of the churches which lost lawsuits because they changed the lyrics of songs of popular artists. I would sue. Even more so the piracy of entire albums by individuals or groups.