By Adrian Hon-Daily Telegraph
Our copyright laws are stealing from the mouths of Charles Dickens' great-great-great-great grandchildren
SOCA's threat is a stirring defence of what we hold dear in this country – the right of a creator to benefit from their intellectual property, whether it be a song, book, film, or game. Without this assurance of compensation, we might not see any new creative works being produced at all, and so it's for this reason that we've continually lengthened copyright terms from 14-28 years as set out by the Statue of Anne in 1710 to "lifetime plus 70 years" today.
Yet now, as we've instituted decade-long jail terms and unlimited fines for copyright infringers, it's time to take the next step in extending copyright terms even further.
Imagine you're a new parent at 30 years old and you've just published a bestselling new novel. Under the current system, if you lived to 70 years old and your descendants all had children at the age of 30, the copyright in your book – and thus the proceeds – would provide for your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Full story at The Telegraph
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