[repsilat]

The idea that something will enter the public domain once its market price has been established is nice, but my problem with this scheme is that it needs so much fine-tuning. How should the prices increase? Exponentially, adjusted for inflation? Will the prices be much too low for much too long, or will they rocket up at unreasonable rates for some kinds of media?

I think the best scheme for works entering the public domain is modelled on eminent domain. That is, a work may be "seized" (and its owner duly compensated) by a government when the utility to the public of it entering the public domain is great enough.

Obviously there would need to be a lot of structure around it, because it's going to happen all the time. There might have to be a registry of copyright owners. There might also be taxes or regular charges levied as in your system.

[masklinn]

> Will the prices be much too low for much too long, or will they rocket up at unreasonable rates for some kinds of media?

It would actually make sense to have both, it would essentially softcap copyright durations.