said by kamm :

This is utter BS, simply dead FALSE.

BTW this common false-iditic belief about Marxism is very virulent here, in the USA, where people are gravely ill-educated about these things, thanks to the craptastic quality of firs- and second-level US education, especially compared to their Asian or European countrerparts.

said by kamm :

BTW this common false-iditic belief about Marxism is very virulent here, in the USA, where people are gravely ill-educated about these things, thanks to the craptastic quality of firs- and second-level US education, especially compared to their Asian or European countrerparts.

said by TKJunkMail :

But KarlMarx's communist philosophy is that "the people" own everything and individuals own nothing.

Just because a country's government espouses XYZ policy, does not mean the culture as a whole embraces it. Case in point: TPB.

said by Kearnstd :

Copyright law as it exists today works against our economy and the people of this nation. there is zero reason that any copyright should last longer then 25 years from the date the content was created. drug companies have a certain number of years before their patents wear out, and then it goes public. entertainment shouldnt be any different.

said by major marco :

Wrong on both counts. What copyright and patent law were originally set up to do -as promulgated in the Constitution itself was to ensure the balance between individual profit vs the ability to copy and otherwise influence culture. That's why the original copyright wasn't set for the life of the creator.

Copyright is in fact mentioned in the Constitution, however, the Disney Corporation brought the issue of copyright front & center when it copyrighted the famous mouse and prevented others from copying it. Historically, it was behemoth movie corporations (like Disney) that expanded westward to California before it became a State to avoid copyright laws. (Read your history on this count - "Free Culture" (incidentally, a FREE download) by Lessig details this mindblowing hypocrisy exhibited by the movie studios back to the early 1900s.)

LMAO - You're relying on Wiki. Really? LMAO. The last time I checked, any entry on Wiki was to be taken with an entire salt shaker and then the facts checked from real sources who have confirmed the information.

The "global community" also recognizes the vast discrepancy between locking down rights for the life of the creator plus 70 yrs and its detrimental effects on culture. That's why the U.S. is the only country in the world with draconian copyright laws/DRM and other nasties meant to lock down technology. These other countries negotiating secret treaties undeer cover of night behind locked doors represent a tiny minority in all likelihood bought off by the *AAs. Just because a country's government espouses XYZ policy, does not mean the culture as a whole embraces it. Case in point: TPB.

said by TKJunkMail :

But it is often still going to the artist's family if they or the artist hasn't sold the rights.

said by TKJunkMail :

The treaty is WITH countries overseas. The whole point of the treaty is to stop it overseas.

said by funchords :

What copyright and patent law try to do is make it financially easier for the artists and inventors to release information.

Damn, until mickey came along, NO-ONE in the history of the world had 'copyrights'. Ideas were shared with whomever wanted to share them, and the WORLD advanced because of it. It's only since the greed of capitalism have we tried to put an artificial scarcity on the products have we seen this become a problem.

said by funchords :

This clearly isn't true, since the concept is mentioned in the Constitution and Congress established copyright law more than a century before Mickey came along.

said by funchords :

The last time I looked at Wikipedia's entry on copyright (both the general one and the one specific to the USA), it was fairly well done.

said by funchords :

Because we are a global community, and most of the globe has recognized copyright as a way to create and support the industry of creating entertainment and dispensing information.

said by funchords :

The terms are ridiculously long, that much I'm convinced about. I think the lyrics to "Happy Birthday" are finally getting close to expiring copyright.

said by TKJunkMail :

But KarlMarx's communist philosophy is that "the people" own everything and individuals own nothing.

said by TheMG :

It's just like record companies holding onto and selling works of deceased artists. That is one thing I will NEVER support, as obviously none of the money is going to the artist it's just going to the cash grabbing corporations.

said by funchords :

The original copyright was 14 years + an additional 14 year term possible. That was before there were highways, let alone an Internet. It doesn't take as much time to market something today, so the terms should be shorter, not longer.

said by TKJunkMail :

But KarlMarx's communist philosophy is that "the people" own everything and individuals own nothing.

said by funchords :

Because we are a global community, and most of the globe has recognized copyright as a way to create and support the industry of creating entertainment and dispensing information.