[Topgun]

what if copyrights and patents lasted only X amount of years then tax would be imposed on them?

Like this:
first 30 years - no tax
after that - 5% of assessed value, minimum $25,000 per year per copyright
10 years later - 5%, $50,000 min

like that.what do you think?

[Ghostavo]

Patents already last only X amount of years.

What you are proposing would just be a price hike (an immense one) on the cost of renewals.

[achtung]

I think it would be better just to shorten the copyright term. It's pretty ****ing ridiculous that Mickey Mouse is not yet in the public domain.

[Luis Dias]

http://www.ikusimakusi.net/pub/2008/mickey-mouse-copyright-law.png

[Bobboau]

Copyrights should have the same terms as pattents, 10 years, with an exemption for trademarked matterials.

[Nuke]

i think they should all be subject to renewal fees, failure to pay results in the patent or copyright to be entered into the public domain. i dont like inventions or software or games or anything else for that matter be abandoned by their patent/rights holders leaving end users of those products left high and dry. im not saying the fees be all that frequent or all that much, just enough to say, "hey! are you done with this?".

[Spicious]

Patents usually last 20 years.

[achtung]

Software patents, should they have to exist, should be no longer than 5 years.

Typical patents should be shortened to 15 years. For almost all circumstances, this is a reasonable amount of time to bring an idea to market.

Copyright should be no longer than 30 years. Preferably 20.

[Bobboau]

Software patents, should they have to exist, should be no loner than 5 years.

Typical patents should be shortened to 15 years. For almost all circumstances, this is a reasonable amount of time to brig an idea to market.

Copyright should be no longer than 30 years. Preferably 20.

none of them should last longer than the amount of time the company will make the majority of their money off of it. this should be the rational for determining what the periods of time should be.

[BloodEagle]

Software patents, should they have to exist, should be no loner than 5 years.

Typical patents should be shortened to 15 years. For almost all circumstances, this is a reasonable amount of time to brig an idea to market.

Copyright should be no longer than 30 years. Preferably 20.

none of them should last longer than the amount of time the company will make the majority of their money off of it. this should be the rational for determining what the periods of time should be.

That wouldn't really work for interactive entertainment or movies.  You'd probably see an increase in people who are just waiting for the works to enter the public domain.

Personally?  I think ten years for a non-trademarked work in an electronic medium is sufficient.

[Mars]

How many people do you think would honestly wait 15 years for movies and music to become public domain?

EDIT:

OH, sorry, you weren't arguing what I thought you were.

[blackhole]

Taxing patents doesn't solve anything. It's already expensive to try and patent an idea due to essentially needing a lawyer in order to get the language right, and the only defense startups have against patent trolls and huge companies suing them out of existence is their own patent portfolio. I've got 3 or 4 patentable ideas but no way to patent them because its too expensive. On the other hand, I'm sure Apple would have no problem stealing my idea, patenting it, and then suing me for using my own idea. If you think that can't happen, you obviously don't realize just how broken the patent system is.