General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Sherlock Holmes under the hammer as BBC face lawsuit from American heiress. [View all]hunter
(38,264 posts)I think patents and copyrights ought to have a very short life if they pass to third party for-profit corporations.
Certainly, let artists pass patents and copyrights to wife, kids, grandkids, and other intimate relationships of the author; do let copyrights and patents support family known to the author.
But limit the time unrelated parties can control patents and copyrights
If I ever write something brilliant and profitable, yes, I might want the money going to known family after I'm dead.
Maybe corporations only ought to be able to buy time-limited leases on patents and copyrights from the artist or their name-designated heirs. After that the art would revert back to the artist's named family or be released to humanity in the public domain.
In the case of patents involving life-saving technology (pharmaceuticals, etc.) I think patents ought to be subject to eminent domain (nationalization and release to the public domain) whenever the owners of these patent are found to be restricting supply for egregious profit.