Ok, so I've been thinking about this a while. I want copyright to be shorter. I do like the idea, and I do see the need and want its protection. Then it occurred to me. I just don't have to use all of it. So. Let this serve as announcement: Everything that I copyright will fall into the public domain exactly 28 years after first publication. That was the maximum allowed by the initial copyright term granted by the United States Congress in the 18th century, and it is enough. Some obvious caveats, of course. This doesn't apply to work I do for someone else, because I don't/won't hold the copyrights; they get assigned to my employer as part of the standard contract. Plus I realize I haven't published much that anyone would want to appropriate, but I'm still young. Maybe someday I will. Right now I will commit myself, though. No matter what happens in Eldred v. Ashcroft, I will only take 28 years from the commons. No more. Possibly less. I urge you to do the same. No matter how small you think your contribution to the public domain is, commit yourself. All writings. All weblog posts. All photographs. All code. All correspondence (excepting private and personal). All graphics. All video. All musical compositions and recordings. And everything else that can be copyrighted that I haven't thought of. 28 years.

¶ 449 Posted at 10.48 PM ⇒ No Comments ( ideas | copyright )