Whose Copy Right?

Intellectual property law doesn’t have the best public profile.  When it does gain the attention of the public, it is usually in light of some sensational court battle between multinational corporations, piracy issues, or the seemingly all-embracing monopolistic rights granted to certain companies.

              Very little attention is given to the balance that such laws attempt to strike between the rights of the legal persons creating such intellectual property and the cultural or industrial advancements that benefit society at large.

              So I was quite interested to read the following article about the increasing number of classical Japanese literary works coming into the public domain with the expiry of their copyrights.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/arts-culture/view/expired-copyright-license-of-old-literary-works-could-keep-japans-cultural-soil-fertile

              The article illustrates some of the benefits to the public as well as the potential new business opportunities that present themselves.

 

R.M.