[Lancaster] Help stop the extension of copyrights on sound recordings. -- was: [Fwd: [CovLUG-Chat] OT copyright reduction petition]

[Richard Smedley]

coincidentally...

-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: Richard Kay <rich at copsewood.net>
Reply-To: chat at lists.covlug.org.uk
To: chat at lists.covlug.org.uk
Subject: [CovLUG-Chat] OT copyright reduction petition
Date: Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:11:27 +0000

This isn't strictly to do with Linux, but I guess those who
are interested in free software are likely to be supportive
of proposals to limit excessive copyright terms. Supporing
reduction of copyright terms will also send a signal
that oppressive measures to enforce copyright are
unpopular, while the principle of proportionate reward
to creators of work is not being challenged.

So I have created a petition to limit copyright terms to
a maximum of 20 years. This would benefit the development
of free software by making it possible to consider proprietary
software developed 20 or more years ago, for which the
source code is available, as public domain material.
Other arts are likely to benefit in a similar way.

In practice it is likely that having copyright terms of
longer than 20 years actually discouraged the creation of
new work, as this makes it more difficult to reuse older
materials when the rights owner is no longer traceable.

Personally I don't know any artist, writer, songwriter
or programmer who would have refused to create something
because of loss of sales more than 20 years after the work was
first published. This isn't why people are creative.

If you are a UK citizen and agree, the petition is at:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ShortenCopyright/

Please do circulate this, or your own reasons for supporting
it, to your other networks as you think appropriate.

Thanks,
Richard. 

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