Re:The Long, Slow Decline of BitTorrent (2017)
by MarkMc on Monday February 12, 2018 @07:13PM
(#16363639)
OK let me drop 'socially useful' from the question: Is it better to (a) allow anyone to watch Snow White on YouTube for free; or (b) fund cancer research with a tax on Disney's sales of Snow White?
With vandalism the costs clearly outweigh the benefits. With copyright extension it seems to me the benefits outweigh the costs.
Re:The Long, Slow Decline of BitTorrent (2017)
by JimmyAustin on Tuesday February 13, 2018 @12:08AM
(#16364902)
The alternative of course is that someone could use the Snow White IP to create new media, in the same way that Sherlock Holmes has generated numerous films. Guy Ritchie's two Holmes movies have netted over $1B USD at the box office. That wouldn't have happened if the Doyle estate still held the copyright.
Not to mention the fact that the Snow White character itself was pulled from the public domain.
Why stop there. Wouldn't it be ever more socially useful to hire vandals to break windows and graffiti houses so the government can collect the taxes on the repairs. See also: war.
Just because something generates economic activity, doesn't mean it's a net benefit to society.