Public Domain and the battle of 2019

[BATZARRO WWD]

I've been researching the idea of Public Domain, on account of my petition and what not. Apparently come 2019, works released in 1921 will start lapsing.

Under the more reasonable previous law, we'd already have gotten works from before the 50s, which is to say Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and most of their most well known foes and allies would already be public domain. As it is now, we'll have to wait till the 2030s for that.

So my pledge to you, dear friends, is that we should not wait until 2019 to complain that they restretched the duration of copyright to 170 years or something. Powerful interests are at work, and they won't take the lapse of certain big franchises lying down.

Everybody stands to gain from more works entering the Public Domain. If it wasn't for the Public Domain we wouldn't have this year's Noah. Or Ben Hur. Or Spartacus. Or The Ten Commandments, with
Charlton Heston. We wouldn't have Dreamworks' Prince of Egypt.


We Wouldn't have Disney's version of Snow White. Or Pinocchio. Or Robin Hood, Aladdin,
Cinderella, The Hunchback of Notre Dam. We wouldn't have Frozen or Tangled, based on "The
Snow Queen" and "Rapunzel", respectively. We wouldn't have Scrooge McDuck!



We wouldn't have the musical Les Miserables. We wouldn't have The Wiz, or Wicked. We wouldn't have the modern Zombie genre. We wouldn't have American McGee's Alice. Or Tim Burton's Alice. Or The 3 Musketeers. Pick whichever version you like best.

Now, I want us to discuss what we can do. I've already set up a petition to the White House. No, I'm not that naive. I understand even if we get the signatures Obama won't come down on a magic goose and make stuff public Domain. But the signatures themselves are important. To send a message.


What say you? Are you with me?

 

[Teelie]

It's ironic you mention how we wouldn't have Disney's cartoons because they are among the most directly responisble for the ever increasing length of copyright limits.

 

[Dr.]

Everybody stands to gain from more works entering the Public Domain. If it wasn't for the Public Domain we wouldn't have this year's Noah. Or Ben Hur. Or Spartacus. Or The Ten Commandments, with Charlton Heston. We wouldn't have Dreamworks' Prince of Egypt.

If you’re referring to the 2004 miniseries, public domain has nothing to do with its existence. Howard Fast’s historical novel, Spartacus, was published in 1951 and is still under copyright. And for the miniseries, Fast is given a credit and presumably he (or his estate - Fast died in 2003) got money.

 

[Marvolo]

Im not sure I want my favorite superheros in the public domain at the mercy of whatever joe bob wants to use the character for something.

 

[Teelie]

I do because there are those who are immensely talented who can do amazing things with them that are otherwise forbidden by copyright law.

 

[Hal_Jordan]

I do because there are those who are immensely talented who can do amazing things with them that are otherwise forbidden by copyright law.

Yeah, but for every great and amazing one of those, there are going to be thousands of terrible, terrible, horrible ones.

It will take some time to sift through all the horrible to get to the great.

 

[Teelie]

What do you think fanfiction is full of? The only difference here is the ones who have something good will be the ones we see getting popular and rewarded for their efforts. Without worrying about some faceless corporation suing them into poverty.

 

[Marvolo]

I dont want people sued, but I want Batman to be controlled by DC and only DC. Same with the Marvel characters and all superheros. If you want to write for them pitch an idea or script to Marvel or DC. Im not interested in independent projects mucking up the canon anymore than it already is. I like someone in control who can keep a since of continuity going. If anyone and everyone can uses the character willy nilly then it will be a mess. This goes for all things. LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars, DC, Marvel etc. Keep them out of public domain.

 

[Teelie]

I think you're completely missing the point of why we have public domain.

 

[redhawk23]

I dont want people sued, but I want Batman to be controlled by DC and only DC. Same with the Marvel characters and all superheros. If you want to write for them pitch an idea or script to Marvel or DC. Im not interested in independent projects mucking up the canon anymore than it already is. I like someone in control who can keep a since of continuity going. If anyone and everyone can uses the character willy nilly then it will be a mess. This goes for all things. LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars, DC, Marvel etc. Keep them out of public domain.

Should Frankenstein and Dracula have been kept out of the public domain too? DC reboots their continuity every 15 years anyways.

 

[Marvolo]

Should Frankenstein and Dracula have been kept out of the public domain too? DC reboots their continuity every 15 years anyways.

I dont really care about Frankenstein and Dracula. And today they arent really in the same league as the juggernaught properties that are superheroes.

And its DC's to reboot. I dont mind them rebooting every fifteen years cause its a single reboot every so many years. Its not a bunch of fanboys and fangirls vomiting out every idea that pops into their fan-head on a daily basis. No just no. That is a cluster**** waiting to happen. Maybe one day when Marvel and DC are all dried up the public can have a crack at it like what has happened with Sherlock Holmes. In other words, when I dont care about it enough to care what fans do to it then they can have it as far as Im concerned.

 

[Teelie]

As far as you are concerned. Everyone else who has other ideas should be free to use them instead of waiting for 170 years (currently) to pass by before it's okay to innovate on them.

 

[Marvolo]

As far as you are concerned. Everyone else who has other ideas should be free to use them instead of waiting for 170 years (currently) to pass by before it's okay to innovate on them.

No they shouldnt lol. Its no different than anything else. If you dont own it you dont have rights to it. If I build something or design something it is mine. No one elses. This is no different. If you want to innovate then come up with something better or a different character or like I said pitch an idea to DC or Marvel. If they dont want to run with it that is their right because its their character not yours or mine or anyone elses. Thats how ownership works.

 

[Teelie]

This isn't about abolishing copyright but reinstating public domain to something reasonable. There was and should never be an unending right to own something creatively like that, especially when the people who created it have been dead for decades.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

So if Batman became public domain, anyone could make a movie? What the what?

 

[Teelie]

How do you think Disney was built? They took public domain stories and made mega money off of it, then turned their backs on it and tried to copyright everything they did for eternity.

 

[SpideyFan866]

Certain, and specific rights, and characters should not and should never become public domain.

Plain and simple.

And to limit and/or outright abolish copyrights is just stupid and illogical.

 

[Lily Adler]

When can I use "Happy Birthday to You" on my television show in its entirety!

 

[Marvolo]

How do you think Disney was built? They took public domain stories and made mega money off of it, then turned their backs on it and tried to copyright everything they did for eternity.

It could be argued that Disney is a good reason for the copyright laws. They couldnt have done what they did if the laws we have today had been in place back then. They wouldnt have a monopoly on some of this stuff. But personally I like that Disney has a monopoly on some of this stuff. They are good at what they do.

Disney did what any smart businessman does. He saw an opportunity and seized it. Im not gonna fault him for taking advantage of the laws or lack of copyright laws on material at the time and making mad money. They didnt turn their backs on anything. They secured themselves. And its worked out fine. Disney isnt a hack company. And they sure arent fanboys in their basement with dreams of grandeur and a headful of questionable story ideas that they want to publish on the kindle marketplace. They are a multibillion dollar company with god knows how many good storytellers and artists that deserve to be where they are. Theyve worked their asses off to get where they are. Disney have had some misses but their successes and hits far exceed their blunders. They now own Marvel too and things are going great so I see no need to change a system that works.

I will conceed this, I think copyright laws definitely could be reworked. A middle ground between protecting the creator and his property and allowing the public to be inspired and use an idea can be met. I just dont want a studio like Fox or anyone and everyone to be able to just grab a major Marvel character like Cap and make a movie and release it against Disney/Marvels version. Or have a bunch of glorified fanfiction from everyone and anyone getting published. That kind of crap I have no interest in.

 

[jonathancrane]

When there are billion dollar companies behind them, it is 99.999% certain that all of the aforementioned comic franchises will never hit the public domain. I have no thoughts on the matter, but the reality that they will never be up for grabs. If any of the high profile DC/Marvel franchises hit public domain withinour lifetimes, I'll [insert outrageous promise here].

 

[redhawk23]

No they shouldnt lol. Its no different than anything else. If you dont own it you dont have rights to it. If I build something or design something it is mine. No one elses. This is no different. If you want to innovate then come up with something better or a different character or like I said pitch an idea to DC or Marvel. If they dont want to run with it that is their right because its their character not yours or mine or anyone elses. Thats how ownership works.

The people who made these characters are long dead, and their children and grand children have had decades to profit from it. That is why copyrights have an end date.

And how are characters from literature and plays that were wildly popular in their time at all different from characters created in the 1930s or now?

Dracula became part of the public domain, someday so will Batman.

 

[redhawk23]

Certain, and specific rights, and characters should not and should never become public domain.

Plain and simple.

And to limit and/or outright abolish copyrights is just stupid and illogical.

Is anyone here arguing abolish copyrights? Seems to me people are arguing to focus on the point of copyrights to begin with, making sure creator's work is protected. A century after the creator's deaths though, who is the copy right serving?

 

[redhawk23]

It could be argued that Disney is a good reason for the copyright laws. They couldnt have done what they did if the laws we have today had been in place back then. They wouldnt have a monopoly on some of this stuff. But personally I like that Disney has a monopoly on some of this stuff. They are good at what they do.

Disney did what any smart businessman does. He saw an opportunity and seized it. Im not gonna fault him for taking advantage of the laws or lack of copyright laws on material at the time and making mad money. They didnt turn their backs on anything. They secured themselves. And its worked out fine. Disney isnt a hack company. And they sure arent fanboys in their basement with dreams of grandeur and a headful of questionable story ideas that they want to publish on the kindle marketplace. They are a multibillion dollar company with god knows how many good storytellers and artists that deserve to be where they are. Theyve worked their asses off to get where they are. Disney have had some misses but their successes and hits far exceed their blunders. They now own Marvel too and things are going great so I see no need to change a system that works.

I will conceed this, I think copyright laws definitely could be reworked. A middle ground between protecting the creator and his property and allowing the public to be inspired and use an idea can be met. I just dont want a studio like Fox or anyone and everyone to be able to just grab a major Marvel character like Cap and make a movie and release it against Disney/Marvels version. Or have a bunch of glorified fanfiction from everyone and anyone getting published. That kind of crap I have no interest in.

Even when its good, anything made by creators born more than a generation after the creation of the property is just glorified fan fiction.

 

[Thundercrack85]

The current copyright laws are insane, and legally dubious. Really, it's amazing they haven't been overturned.

Copyright is fine, and logical, but there are (and were) limits. A creator's lifetime, should be that limit.

 

[redhawk23]

The current copyright laws are insane, and legally dubious. Really, it's amazing they haven't been overturned.

Copyright is fine, and logical, but there are (and were) limits. A creator's lifetime, should be that limit.

I can see the argument for a certain amount of time after the creator's death. I mean what if they die within a year? Spouses, descendants of creators and the company's that hire them deserve a certain span of time to use and profit from creative work, but that time shouldn't be centuries.

Tying it to lifetimes is a tricky matter. Who exactly creates films? Is it the writer? The director? The producers? Whose lifetime should it be tied to?