Lessig against Copyright Extension for Existing Works

Wired: Lessig on Copyright Extensions: Lawrence Lessig makes the sensible argument that the public gains nothing from the extension of copyright for existing works. (When granting Congress the power to confer intellectual property rights, the Framers envisioned the incentive of a limited period of exclusive rights as a means to induce authors and scientists to create works that would ultimately enter the public domain.) After the works are created, an extension offers no extra inducement for the creation of past works.