the government-issued monopoly on your own imagination, lasting longer than you will.
means a legal system granting creators exclusive rights to copy, distribute, and adapt their original work for a limited time.
from born from the statute of anne in 1710, england's response to printers who wanted permanent control over books; the crown decided 14 years was plenty, and everyone has argued about the number ever since.
happy birthday song — warner chappell collected royalties until a 2015 lawsuit freed it
sonny bono act — 1998 law extended us terms, nicknamed after the mickey mouse lobby
blurred lines case — 2015 verdict made 'feel' of a song infringable, shook songwriting
google books scanning — court ruled digitizing 20 million books was fair use in 2015