Comments on: STABBED IN THE BACK?

By: Gryphon

Gryphon — Mon, 23 May 2016 08:07:55 +0000

I think that copyright should be 50 years or 20 years after death, whichever comes first … and non-natural persons (corporations, partnerships, etc.) should count as already dead, so only 20 years for them.

By: Jo

Jo — Fri, 13 May 2016 19:48:42 +0000

Thanks Glenda, you just blessed me LOL.

I am always trying to encourage friends and even my blog readers to read your books too. You have given me so much enjoyment I do so want to share it.

By: glenda larke

glenda larke — Fri, 13 May 2016 17:57:02 +0000

I think Mike is probably right. International treaties would have to be broken to reduce the copyright period and I don't know that this could be circumvented. However, what the government is also trying to do is allow in cheaper books from overseas (which is already happening anyway through sites like BookDepository). See here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-30/publishers-disappointed-by-support-to-lift-import-restrictions/6987476

Book stores have already been closing all over the place, many authors have seen sales drop as a consequence, and publishers advances have fallen. The careers of writers are not in good health…

Bless the existence of readers who are fans of our work!

By: Jo

Jo — Fri, 13 May 2016 16:25:24 +0000

Well I do hope Mike Hall is right and you don't have to worry about it after all. I think it's ridiculous to think of taking the writer's property rights in their lifetime. You wrote the damn things, you deserve to receive any money they make. Maybe they think everyone is like Jo Rowling and makes so much money they don't need any protection. Although I bet she wouldn't be very happy if her property rights were taken away either. People really don't understand about writing books, I didn't until I got to know a whole raft of novelists who don't make much out of any of their writing however good it is.

Do you think you might go the self publishing route this time? I can't honestly think it's a good idea, but a lot of people seem to choose it as an option.

By: Mike Hall

Mike Hall — Fri, 13 May 2016 06:51:45 +0000

Current copyright terms are too long but this suggestion is ludicrous. The Productivity Commission clearly have no idea how authors earn their money in today's world. They've probably been over influenced by publishers who let their books go out of print far too quickly.

For books I think something like the longer of lifetime or 100 years would be reasonable; it protects writers who live to a ripe old age and the heirs of writers who die young without keeping things out of the public domain for an extraordinary time after they were written.

I'm not sure that there is a great need to worry though as the Commission seem to have forgotten two magic words which mean that they are wasting everybody's time: "international treaties".