Some additional questions for your "5-15 years" copyright period.
So I only get copyright to my 5 years, let's say. When do we start counting?
From the moment I finish the work? The moment I publish the work? The moment I start the work? The moment I think up the idea? What if I tell somebody my idea,
inlcuding my complete outline, then put that aside because say I'm working on a kickass TV series as head writer which gets renewed for seven seasons then
when I go back to work on my project I discover the person I showed the outline to has published there own version of the book two years back?
Also, what is copyrighted? Do I get rights to my characters and plot? Or just my actual story? Or just the actual literal story I made. If I create say, the
next Harry Potter and someone makes another Harry Potter novel and starts selling it in stores at the same time as mine do I get to dispute this?
What if I write and selfpublish a novel, but because I am a single human being without access to a massive advertising machine my novel is not popular. Then
ten years down the line somebody reads it who does have access to such an advertising network and my novels turn into the next biggest
best-seller and they make a ovie about it and everything. I suppose I get... uh, nothing I guess. Unless somebody feels sympathy towards me and decides to
donate something to me, since the books I print out of neccesity cost about ten times as much as those the massive publishing house can produce and sell using
their economies of scale.
Heck, what if in five years after I publish my novel someone wants to produce a movie based on it. I guess I get jack and shit for that, too. Note that in your
scanerio if the people at Warner Bros had waited one more year before releasing the first Harry Potter movie Rowling would have gotten bupkiss. Similarly if I
create a series that someone wants to turn into a video game, or comic or some other adaptation I get... jack and shit. The development time for a decent video
game can run years by itself.
In short, why would I, a creator, ever bother to create anything if I would never personally see a dime of it?
And before you say that "people would support the original creator" I refer to "mom and pop store vs Walmart" for exactly how far believing
in the goodness of human beings will get you.
------------------
Epsilon
So I only get copyright to my 5 years, let's say. When do we start counting?
From the moment I finish the work? The moment I publish the work? The moment I start the work? The moment I think up the idea? What if I tell somebody my idea,
inlcuding my complete outline, then put that aside because say I'm working on a kickass TV series as head writer which gets renewed for seven seasons then
when I go back to work on my project I discover the person I showed the outline to has published there own version of the book two years back?
Also, what is copyrighted? Do I get rights to my characters and plot? Or just my actual story? Or just the actual literal story I made. If I create say, the
next Harry Potter and someone makes another Harry Potter novel and starts selling it in stores at the same time as mine do I get to dispute this?
What if I write and selfpublish a novel, but because I am a single human being without access to a massive advertising machine my novel is not popular. Then
ten years down the line somebody reads it who does have access to such an advertising network and my novels turn into the next biggest
best-seller and they make a ovie about it and everything. I suppose I get... uh, nothing I guess. Unless somebody feels sympathy towards me and decides to
donate something to me, since the books I print out of neccesity cost about ten times as much as those the massive publishing house can produce and sell using
their economies of scale.
Heck, what if in five years after I publish my novel someone wants to produce a movie based on it. I guess I get jack and shit for that, too. Note that in your
scanerio if the people at Warner Bros had waited one more year before releasing the first Harry Potter movie Rowling would have gotten bupkiss. Similarly if I
create a series that someone wants to turn into a video game, or comic or some other adaptation I get... jack and shit. The development time for a decent video
game can run years by itself.
In short, why would I, a creator, ever bother to create anything if I would never personally see a dime of it?
And before you say that "people would support the original creator" I refer to "mom and pop store vs Walmart" for exactly how far believing
in the goodness of human beings will get you.
------------------
Epsilon