I can’t really root for either side in this fight. On one hand, you’ve got the greedy Hollywood bastards and on the other you’ve got the descendants of a great writer looking to score money they haven’t earned. Yes. I get it. Writers have every right to earn money off their work. I have no qualms with that. What I do take issue with is the absolutely fucked up copyright system we have in the US. The Adjustment Bureau was first published in 1954. The copyright was never renewed. Now Dick’s estate is claiming that the publication in 1954 in the magazine Orbit was unauthorized. Here’s my main problem: if the publication was unauthorized why did neither Philip K Dick when he was still us or his estate ever mention this before a major Hollywood movie was made?
Copyrights should expire. They should not live forever. Think how many great stories you’ve read or movies you’ve seen that used characters that were in the public domain. It would suck not to have those, wouldn’t it?
*deep breath*
Ok, enough ranting from me. The New York Times has more information on the lawsuit if you’re interested.
There Is No Easter Bunny 