tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737980321158585254.post8926101898726255232..comments2024-03-22T16:45:17.544-04:00Comments on Acts of Minor Treason: Copyfight, Win, PrevailPhoebe Bartonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10457452561340581723noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737980321158585254.post-11641603916042012722009-11-25T20:40:22.727-05:002009-11-25T20:40:22.727-05:00Everyone deserves to be paid for their work. Do si...Everyone deserves to be paid for their work. Do sick people have a right to free medical care? Do criminals have a right to free legal advice? Do readers have a right to free writing? There is no such thing as free. Someone pays. Health care is not free in Canada. Legal aid is not free. I don't see why people have the right to read people's writing for free.<br /> <br />Yes, doctors sometimes provide free care,lawyers do pro bono work, and writers can publish for free. <br /><br />A copywrite law is in place to protect workers' rights to earn money from their work.<br />Creators own their work, and they have no duty to provide free access to their work.<br />Your argument--that people should have the right to read your story to ensure that you won't die an unknown--is really about access. No one is preventing access to your work. They can read short stories in libraries, or they can buy the book. If your are an obsure writer, perhaps your writing is bad, or perhaps the market doesn't appreciate it.<br />The question is the use of another person's work--what counts as fair usage.<br />You might die in obscurity, but you might also get rich. Artists take chances. You have a choice. Your choice shouldn't become someone else's duty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com