[Foundation-l] About that "sue and be damned" to the National Portrait Gallery ...

[Michael Snow]

Gregory Maxwell wrote:
> Consider the incentive system that you create when you combine a
> copyright system which is effectively perpetual through retroactive
> extensions plus the ability to copyright any work in the public domain
> by making a slavish reproduction:
>
> New exciting viable business plans emerge, such as:
>
> 1) Obtain classic works of art and slavishly digitize them.
> 2) Destroy the works of art
> 3) Perpetual profit!
>   
Come now, let's not exaggerate. The profit would not be perpetual. You'd 
have to take additional steps to pull that off. In about 95 years 
(depending on the applicable copyright term), you'd need to slavishly 
copy the works of art a second time, into whatever the universal format 
of choice ends up being by then, and destroy the original copy lest it 
fall into the public domain. Also, ensure that all licenses to use that 
first copy expire at this time and require destruction of all 
outstanding versions. Then you can have everybody re-up for another round.

--Michael Snow