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Don Cox wrote:
But why should copyright persist for more than two generations after the
goose is dead?
Because the 'flock' - the corporation which owns the rights - is still
alive. Even if the corporation is defunct, there is likely to be a
successor in law.
The argument is that the publisher has continuing interest in profiting
from the work.
Please do not misunderstand: my opinion is that this is bull. If the
corporation retains the rights, they should have an obligation to make
the content available at reasonable cost. If they abandon the product
(out of print for a defined period, for example), then it should fall
into the public domain. But that is opinion, not law.