Reimagining Copyright's Duration

Abstract

Current copyright terms are primarily justified as being necessary to incentivise cultural production, to incentivise investment in existing works to ensure their continued availability and preservation, and to recognise and reward authors for their creative contributions. This paper makes the case that existing approaches to duration are actually counterproductive to these aims. It then proposes a vision of an alternative that, by disaggregating incentives and rewards (and our motivations for granting them), would increase investment in existing works, better secure to authors the rewards of their creative endeavours, and unlock a great deal of currently neglected value for the public.

Keywords: copyright terms, duration, paradigm shift

JEL Classification: K00