16 September 2013 - copyright term 1

In the U.S., works for hire are in copyright for 120 years after creation or 95 years after publication, whichever is less ridiculous. Let’s fix that: Works not published can be protected by trade secret laws and don’t need copyright, and works published are mostly advertising which loses its value within a year. I’ll compromise and offer 10 years copyright. The occasional work that retains value after 10 years can be renewed for 10 more years for $1000, and every 10 years thereafter for twice as much as last time. Then classic movies can be kept in copyright affordably for over a century, the Copyright Office will finally have a decent budget, and the public domain will boom as it should.