A Bill, which had included a provision to extend copyright protection for the unpublished works of dead authors, was passed today without the copyright provision. The Bill would have extended copyright protection until the year 2017. The Bill would largely have benefitted the heir of Lucy Maude Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables.
It is interesting to contrast the Canadian government response to a request for copyright extension to protect a Canadian icon with the U.S. government response to extending the protection for Mickey.
If the purpose of copyright is to encourage the creation of works, it is difficult to see how protection of unpublished works more than 60 years after the artists death, accomplishes that objective. Does a person contemplating writing a book or creating a cartoon character think, "Oh why bother, this is going to go into the public domain 60 years after I am dead and buried".
Globe & Mail CBC Lessig Approves
8:14:51 PM 
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