• catloaf@lemm.ee
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      9 hours ago

      So when Bethesda makes a new Skyrim, Todd Howard should personally own the whole thing?

      • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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        9 hours ago

        Yes, or parts of the game owned by different individuals. They can have a contract to use their intellectual property only for Bethesda’s uses.

        Even if it was owned by one person at the company, that’s no different than the company owning it. But since it’s owned by a finite being instead of an eternal entity, so it makes it clearer that copyright should also be finite.

    • otp
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      6 hours ago

      A collection of humans could form a company for ease of managing and sharing the copyright.

      • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        But then they might try to claim the copyright lasts until the last one dies and then keep swapping in young people to keep it going forever. Pretty much like they do today.

        • otp
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          3 hours ago

          So if you want the copyright of a work to expire, you need to arrange for the death of the sole copyright holder

          • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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            3 hours ago

            Well, it should expire at 9 years after the work was made, but to reinforce that, it should be owned by a finite being.