[OT] "The Condescending UI" (was: Do we need Win95/98/Me support?)

[Walter Bright]

On 1/24/2012 6:18 PM, Stewart Gordon wrote:
> On 24/01/2012 00:13, Walter Bright wrote:
> <snip>
>> Copyrights expire after 20 years. Renewable for another 20 years for a fee of
>> $1000/year
>> per registered copyright.
>
> So your idea is to make it harder for people to keep their works copyrighted?

After 20 years, yes. And I speak as someone who makes a living selling 
copyrighted material.


> Under your plan, what will happen to copyrighted works that have existed for
> years? Will they expire right away if they're 20 or more years old, or remain
> under copyright for 20 years from now?

They'd follow the same rules. If they're more than 20 years old, but less than 
40, the owner can pay $1000/yr to continue the copyright. Older than 40 years, 
then public domain.


> And will existing rules (literature expires 70 years after the author's death,
> music recordings expire 50 years after creation, etc.) still apply in addition
> to this?

No.