See this news article on the current case before the US Supreme Court on copyright law. The key issue that the Supreme Court is weighing is how long inventors and authors can maintain exclusive right to their works. Originally, copyrights lasted 14 years. Current laws now extend it to 70 years after the death of the creator, if the creator is known.

If you read previous entries in this log, you know that I have big concerns about extending the rights that one has to works that ultimately belong in the public domain. The framers of the US Constitution had good thoughts about this issue. Inventions, works of art, and other patentable and copyrightable materials ultimately belong in the public domain for the good of society. If only the inventor or artist can benefit for the work, society breaks down very quickly into the haves and have-nots and innovation stagnates. This key thought drove the idea of patents that last for 10 to 17 years and copyrights that run for 14.

Congressional changes to this will cause more harm than good. It allows companies to retain for a longer period of time exclusive publishing rights for works that could be published for free on the Internet. While I’m not against folks profiting from their works, innovation stagnates when individuals can profit from an extended period on protected works. I agree with Lessig and the challengers on this — here’s hoping that the US Supreme Court will act in favor of society and culture at large.