One of the drawbacks of online publication for at least some academics is that their work gets a wide reading and is thus exposed to the scrutiny of the Blogosphere. This article, published in an academic journal (at a major university yet) is a case in point. I don't need to offer a criticism; this review tears it to shreds. But I will offer one tidbit to indicate the quality of reasoning in this essay: "The fact that artists and songwriters live significantly longer than they did when Congress last substantially altered the copyright term was important to the congressional decision to adopt the extension. Life of the author plus seventy years is now necessary to provide the same level and extent of protection previously given under the former extension period, which has been rendered inadequate with the increase in life expectancy." Come again? James Grimmelmann comments, "See, it used to be that authors only lived until thirty, forty, years after their death, max. But these days, with cryogenics and the Atkins diet, some people are living their lives plus fifty, even sixty years." My goodness.
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