[crazygringo]

That's a clever idea, but I'm not sure it really works because the company who owns the copyright isn't necessarily the company providing the stream to you digitally.

This is about ensuring it stays available from the streaming distributor, and how much time remains on the copyright doesn't really have anything to do with them. And even if the copyright expires next year, I still want to make sure I can keep streaming it for the next 10 or 15 years or whatever, if I buy it today.

[android42]

If the provider made it available for purchase (not subscription), the liability should go to them first to make DRM free copies available for those who purchased it before shutting down the service. If they are unable to do so, e.g. a sudden bankruptcy, then the liability could go to the copyright holder to find another provider to continue the service and transfer purchases, or provide DRM free copies (either should not be a problem if they are still making money from the given IP). In the event they are no longer making enough money from that IP and wish to just rid their hands of it, it becomes public domain.

[Repulsion9513]

> then the liability could go to the copyright holder to find another provider

And they'll choose the crappiest provider they possibly can whose website (no app, presumably) only works in some ancient browser and is "down for maintenance" 50% of the time because that provider has the lowest costs and is thus willing to charge the least for it...

[android42]

Yep, there would definitely need to be some regulations to prevent that sort of thing as well. I could see this becoming a business where companies are paid to take on this liability of distribution for copyright holders that meets some minimum defined threshold. Ideally it would be as seamless as the prior service if locked, or just reasonable download speeds if DRM free.

[willis936]

If made a law it would make such negligence illegal. You may try to launder the responsibility, but at the end of the day you would be on the hook as the copyright owner. You might have legal contracts that your servicing contractors might break, allowing you to pin the blame back to them, but this would all be making it a business problem rather than a person problem.

[bcrosby95]

If it expires next year then you could download it free anyways.

[j16sdiz]

I am not buying the content, I am buying the service.

What I expect as a part of deal was, to have access to that content without worrying about backups or storage spaces.

If they can't provide that, it have to be communicated upfront.

[mjevans]

Presently, in practical terms, 'lifetime' may as well be 100 years. Though I'd still prefer to see it as 'lifetime*' ... '*lifetime is 100 years'.

[crazygringo]

Not if nobody makes it available.

Just because a copyright expires doesn't mean somebody has given you free access.

Plenty of copyrighted works have simply been lost to the ages.

[nottorp]

> how much time remains on the copyright doesn't really have anything to do with them

Not if you change the law to say so :)