How to fix the music business....

[CTLawGuy]

I wanted to throw an idea for new legislation out there....

What if we made it illegal to transfer a copyright?

That way, record companies can't force artists to sell their works, and maybe The RIAA will care less about file-sharing. because they'll have less of an interest. and Michael Jackson wouldnt own all the Beatles' songs..

just a quick thought....

What do you think?

[Occulus]

1. Well,

I'd say this is a good idea. Copyright was originally intended to protect the public from misuse by corporations of works created by individuals. Neat how that worked out in real life, isn't it?

Also, I think the term for copyrights should be drastically shortened (to, say, twelve years with no possible extension), and I'd also like to see a law declaring all material on the internet public domain by default.

I'd also like to see legislation that places all publicly broadcast material into the public domain as well. They're our airwaves, dammit; I didn't pay for the other guy's radio, but I still heard the song. from my POV, as a listener, that's free music. If you're putting them on our airwaves, you damn well better expect to relinquish all rights to enforce your copyright.

I very firmly believe that if there were a way for the RIAA to charge people royalty fees for humming a tune to oneself or singing a song to someone, they would pursue that in court as well.

[Az]

2. Copyright law and intellectual rights laws are broken

They no longer serve the function they were intended to. Initially the laws were established to provide a period of time for the author/composer/inventer (aci) to derive some profit from their efforts. After a suitable length of time the work was to enter the public domain and be available to everyone.

Coprorate pressure has continually pushed the expiration dates on these issues back to the point that they have become permenantly denied to the public.

[Occulus]

3. And why would THAT be? :)

Because corporations are persons under the law, and yet being persons who do not die, they can derive profit from their "efforts" forever.

Yet another way corporate personhood has ruined America. This issue rears its ugly head almost everywhere...

[Az]

4. A timeline of the History of Copyright Law in the US

http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/timeline.html

1787: U.S. Constitution

According to Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution, "the Congress shall have power . . . to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries."