As of right now the copyright law is an exclusive legal right given to the creator of an original work to control its distribution for a lifetime plus seventy years then the work is released to the public. This seems like a pretty reasonable law to abide, but who can up with the seventy years after a lifetime? Where does one come up with such a random number? Is seventy years really enough time? Say if a creator has his work copyrighted and then when his lifetime ends he passes the company down to his heir. What is his heir expected to do when the seventy years are up? It seems that this awkward time limit brings up more questions than answers.
Take Walt Disney for example, everyone has heard of the huge company that he created Disney. Whether they know it form the kids’ movies or the amusement parks, everyone knows that brand. Founder, or should I say creator, of this well know company has been dead for over forty years now. Does that mean that in thirty years we are going to see the end of the Disney enterprise? I hope not. It would be a shame to see such a powerful and influential enterprises lost due to lack of protection.
Although I feel the time limitations are not up to my expectations but the copyright law really does protect people’s creations. Disney would not be the company it is today if people were allowed to take his ideas as their own. Protective laws like these have created a safe environment for artists to publish their work. With out these laws we would not have the various aspects of art currently available for us.
On the opposing side of this argument I can also see how seventy years could be too long. Is it really fair that Disney can capitalize on this market without any competition? It seems that since Disney does not have to compete with any competing companies they are free to do as they please, which is not always a good thing.
Even though I have used Disney as an example movies are not the only things covered under the copyright laws. As I mentioned earlier this law gives right to creators, meaning that no matter what people create it will be protected. Most of the time when the word creator is used we automatically assume creators are artists when in fact all sorts of creations are protected, from abstract inventions to forms of written work.
The copyright law may have some flaws but overall it has a positive influence on the creative world and it would not be the same without it. Maybe in the future we can alter the copyright guidelines but for now it is serving its purpose and giving people to express themselves in a protected environment.
