Re: SV: Knight and Public Domain

[don ohmes <d_ohmes@yahoo.com>]

> On Fri, 5/16/08, David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at> wrote:

> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "David Krentz" <ddkrentz@charter.net>

> >   Whoa, I don't know where to begin with that one.
> > That is how  artists 
> > make money.
 
> By living off the work of their grandparents?

What is wrong w/ wanting to care for my grandchidren?

> I think the idea is 10 years after the creator's death,
> not 10 years after 
> creation.

Gosh, I'm dead for 10 years. Who cares what I want? Come get the free stuff! 
Why wait 10 years?

> In any case, what I don't understand is why scientific
> articles are subject 
> to the same copyright laws as works of art. 

Very good point. (I think. The Law of Unintended Consequences always makes me 
nervous.) At least there is a 'greater need' argument...

> How many people
> have ever paid 
> 30 to 40 $ for an article? If they can't find a pdf for
> free, people go to 
> their university library and take a photocopy for free
> (that is, none of the 
> money left in the machine goes to the publisher... let
> alone to the author 
> who paid the page charges and/or the 900 $ per color figure
> out of their 
> grant).

An online read-only (global) library would be my suggestion...

Don