[thisislife2]

That can be fixed by limiting copyright to a certain duration per medium. You write a book - you have copyright on paper based books for 15 years. You publish it as Ebooks for desktop and mobile devices - get 15 years on that medium. Convert to visuals on Television &/or Films - 15 years on that medium. Virtual reality - another 15 years and so on ...

[radlad]

Are you suggesting that if you release only a book, anyone could take the story and produce a film based on it, because you didn't publish a film?

[thisislife2]

No. I am suggesting that short copyright terms should be tied to the medium of delivery.

If someone writes a book, copyright will begin when they publish the book and the 10-15 years copyright expiration would only be applicable for paper book medium. After the copyright for the paper book medium expires, anybody can republish it. But, only the original copyright owner can "recreate" the work again in another medium - like Games, TV/ Films, Virtual reality etc. Even if that happens after the expiration of copyright on the first medium it originally appeared on.

With the Game of Thrones example, with short copyrights, Martin would lose the copyright on the books (the first original medium it was published on) in 10-15 years. But he would retain the copyright on his work for other medium. So if 20 years down the lane, HBO wanted to recreate his work for TV, they would still have to get his permissions to do so. Once Martin's gives HBO the rights to his work for TV, HBO would own it only for the 10-15 years, and after that, anybody could use it freely too, but only for paper book and TV medium. This means if Meta or Apple want to recreate Game of Thrones as a virtual reality show, they would again have to approach Martin to get his permission. If they do, then they own the copyright to his work, on virtual reality medium, till it expires in 10-15 years.

In this kind of system, the original author would continue to retain the future rights for any new future medium of delivery too.

[tmtvl]

What would happen then if someone wants to make a movie about a book published a few centuries earlier? Would they have to do deep archaeology to find the heirs of the author, the heirs of the heirs, the heirs of the heirs of the heirs,... and then get permission of the hundred-odd heir^Nths?

[thisislife2]

The law would obviously need to address such scenarios. One idea could be to also make everything public domain, for all mediums, when the author dies or a certain period has passed (like 70-80 years).