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Re:Disney backs down from 'Steamboat Willie' YouTube copyrig... by danaris on Sunday January 07, 2024 @04:53PM (#38905533)
> rights holders to be required to apply for copyright (for a small fee, let's say $5/work)

This would drastically change our current copyright regime.

As it stands, everything you write has automatic copyright, and doesn't require even the smallest, brokest artist to do anything—or pay anything—in order to ensure that their creations cannot profit others without their consent.

Requiring every work to be registered in order to be eligible for copyright would essentially change our system from a default of "assume anything you find is under copyright, get permission from the creator to use it" to "assume anything you find is free for the taking, and if the creator did register it they'll have to come after you."

In other words, it would mean that anything belonging to big corporate media like Disney and Hasbro would be near-automatically protected, while small, independent artists would be massively more screwed than they are today, with their creations basically being assumed to be available for anyone capable of monetizing it against its creator's will, medium, large, or megacorporation, to profit off of to their shriveled hearts' content.

Re:Disney backs down from 'Steamboat Willie' YouTube copyrig... by tkems on Sunday January 07, 2024 @05:22PM (#38905787)
I can see the issue with larger corporations having an easier time protecting works they create, I think a system where registration is simple would solve most of the issues. Patent applications are a complex process and I don't think we should base any new copyright system on that. We have the tools today to improve the registration system.

I also think that some compromise needs to be made. Saying that all small, independent artists would be "massively more screwed" doesn't give them much credit. Having their work protected and documented as such should give them more protections if someone infringes on their work. A fast and simple process can be designed to allow everyone to register their works without limiting it to large corporations.

Re:Disney backs down from 'Steamboat Willie' YouTube copyrig... by tgv on Sunday January 07, 2024 @05:13PM (#38905699)
Many react to copyright with the image of a greedy, large corporation in mind. Unfortunately. While they are a bit of a problem (although mostly nuisance), solutions that attack them will not help the millions and millions of small creators and starting artists. Lawyers will see to that.
Re:Disney backs down from 'Steamboat Willie' YouTube copyrig... by michaelbrave on Sunday January 07, 2024 @05:31PM (#38905872)
Maybe something of a compromise then, first time making it creates a 20 year copyright, any additional years have to be applied for with a fee that increases the more years it's kept.
Re:Disney backs down from 'Steamboat Willie' YouTube copyrig... by freejazz on Thursday January 11, 2024 @09:42AM (#38952788)
It wouldn't change anything, in order to enforce your copyright in the US, you need to pay for a registration, which also isn't very expensive.