Copyright's Arc: The Case for Tying Intellectual Property Rights to National Wealth

In Copyright's Arc, Martin Skladany rejects a one-size-fits-all copyright regime.

Within developed countries, copyright's incentives have spawned multinational corporations that create a plethora of slick, hyped entertainment options that encourage Americans to overconsume, whereas in developing countries, extreme copyright blocks the widespread distribution of entertainment, which impedes women's equality and human rights movements. Meanwhile, moderate copyright in middle-income countries helps foster artistic movements that forge inclusive national identities. Given these conditions, Skladany argues that copyright should vary between countries, following an arc across the development spectrum.

• Reveals how society can support copyright reform that will reduce the tragic overconsumption of entertainment, which disproportionately hurts marginalized groups
• Allows readers to link the development of copyright to historical context
• Extends current critiques of extreme copyright by demonstrating that the value of entertainment itself varies