The real tragedy is that even after having a new generation born and grown up entirely digitally and connected, we still can’t rethink copyright into something which actually makes sense based on the world we now live in.
Even in such cases like bargain bin games which were made by a Russian and Chinese studios and were published in Europe by fairly large publishers and used stolen assets they had little to no legal recourse the Publisher didn’t care, the artists don’t have the money to fight a legal battle and even if they do win at best they’ll barely cover their legal fees if they even turn a profit and the game devs would just patch those assets out if they would even exist by the time the case is settled.
From their point of view it’s not that the public domain is too small but that the current copyright laws are too lax and can only be used by those with large legal teams on retainers.
Also the big publishers can now just submit your work to the copyright collectives and you will receive rakedowns on assets you own. Good luck proving that though.
I probably wouldn't be able to run modern Linux on the laptop I'm using right now without it.
There are plenty of situations where BSD (or similar) lisenced software is used and the changes are not published.
However, in case something ends up being distributed and because I don't believe that's been tested in the courts, many companies have blanket policies against the inclusion of copyleft licenses.
Some brands are "cultural icons" (like it or not), but that doesn't mean the culture has any right to tell the brand owner what to do with their trademark.
If it isn't performing that function well, then it's probably time for a rethink.
TBH, it's probably better to create a post scarcity society where a living isn't dependent on holding something hostage. Some variation of a basic income, that would support artists to create. But we don't have to go that far to say, copyright as it stands now is over-mighty and should have its claws harshly trimmed.
Then: The rights of the content creators to make a living.
Not the other way around.
I'm not saying it's right, but it should be pointed out that it can still work.
China has structured their society to operate without much copyright enforcement.
It should make people think about what kind of society they want.
I live in China and I’d say it’s plausible that people watch more Japanese, Korean and Anglophone media than Chinese, dubbed and subtitled. I wouldn’t bet on it but it’s at least 30%. Chinese tv and movies are dreadful.
(I dont know the difference between mandarin and cantonese so sorry if im wrong)
At least in the US, that is not the purpose of copyright. The constitution lays out why congress has the power to grant copyrights and patents:
> To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries
The 'new generation' seems to want to sit on their collective arses and watch movies & music for free, but not contribute to the cost of their creation.
I'm all ears as to why their selfish, immediate-gratification desires should be considered.
'The old business model is broken!' they exclaim. Well then, stop consuming its output and go out there and CREATE better content. But most of them decline to do so. Hypocrites.
[0] https://www.dw.com/en/eu-copyright-bill-protests-across-euro...
As for changing the system, the current problem with copyright is that it mixes control and payment, leading to stupid things like HBO not being available unless you pay for a gazillon channels you don't need.
I see a future where producers have to declare their prizes, but must offer the same deal to anybody who is willing to buy it. Any exlusive deal is automatically a violation of monopoly laws.
They also seem happy to create content on Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, etc, with a handful of them becoming stars as big as the pop stars and TV/movie stars of earlier generations.
Attributing simplistic traits to entire generations, comprising hundreds of millions of people spanning many different countries, cultures and classes, never really goes well.
At any point in time, people just choose the most appealing and cost-effective options of those available to them.
It's up to those offering products and services to make their economic model work, but the ability of the big content companies to generate big revenues, either via subscriptions or advertising, shows that there are various models that can work well.