Copyright Rights vs Public Domain

Exclusive Rights

Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution states that The Congress shall have power 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. In Short Copyright Law gives an author the right to register a copyright when a work is fixed in a tangible form for the first time. Exclusive rights also give the author the right to reproduce, perform, display, derive, and distribute works. In addition it gives the author the right to give others a license to exercise those rights.

Copy Protected Works

I have taken the time to research two copy-protected works from copyright.gov search registry.

Walt Disney Company

Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. He is one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world and is the mascot of The Walt Disney Company, the world's largest media conglomerate in terms of annual revenue.

Twilight

Twilight is a series of four vampire-themed fantasy romance novels by American author Stephanie Meyer in 2005. The books have been licensed and made into The Twilight Saga series of motion pictures by  Stephanie benefits from this financially and from recognition of her works.

Public Domain

When a registered Copyrighted work Intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited or inapplicable, the work falls into the public domain. This means that the copyright protection no longer exists and anyone can freely use the work without permission. In addition any works published in the U.S before 1923 is now in the public domain.

I am new to Isaac Newton’s words standing on the shoulder of giants, but completely understand the meaning behind them. We as a nation build on the works that came before us, for society to progress we need to broaden the public domain so we can borrow and evolve ideas. Basically this mean copyright benefits us all by helping us grow not only financially but also creatively by borrowing from the past. Copyright protection can inspire creation; and bring innovation thus strengthening our country.

Public Domain Works

In addition I have taken the time to research two public domain works that date as far back as the 16^th century.

Fairytale

Folktales such as Cinderella, little red riding hood and puss and boots are fairy tale folk story’s written by French author Charles Perrault in 1697 and later laid the foundations for a new literary genre called fairy tales which is mostly derived from folktales.

Vampires

The Vampyre was written by John William Polidori in 1819, Credited to some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction. The Vampyre, was one of the first vampire stories in English. The Vampyre novel laid the foundations for new literary works of vampire storys, novels and films.

As you can see the public benefit off of the works in public domain by being able to use works as building blocks and borrow ideas for use on their own creations. Copyright benefits us all, so lets take it from Isaac Newton and lets stand on the shoulder of gaints.