PATENTING STORYLINES.

Yesterday, I heard about an attempt to patent storylines and/or plots. You can learn more and also read the press release about it at Groklaw. Find out more about the man behind the idea by visiting Plot Patents.

As most authors are well aware, ideas aren't subject to copyright, and the U.S. Patent Office doesn't handle literary issues. So I'm curious about why someone would try to patent a storyline or a plot. I don't know the answer to that.

What I do know is that technological advances are causing many people to rethink copyrights.

Some people want to do away with copyrights altogether, believing that whatever a creative artist creates should belong to everyone, rather than to the creator. In several respects, the Internet has helped to fuel that notion. Many Internet users, for example, think nothing of taking copyrighted photos, graphics, and/or text from the websites of others---often passing the work off as their own, as well; and we're all aware that students plagiarizing from the Internet has become a problem in schools, too.

This is just one of the reasons why many other people want to strengthen copyrights, ensuring that creators retain control of their creations and are properly compensated for the use of same.

Recently, both the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers filed lawsuits against Google, "alleging the Internet company's plans to scan and digitally distribute the text of major library collections would violate copyright protections." It remains to be seen if the Courts will agree.

But the trend is clear: Increasingly, copyrights that protect the works of creative artists are under attack. At the moment, where it will all end is anybody's guess.

What do you think? Do you believe the creations of creative artists should belong to everyone? If so, how do you think creative artists should be compensated for same---or do you believe they ought to work for free? If you're on the other side of the fence, how would you change the copyright laws to strengthen them? Do you think that can be accomplished, and if so, what do you believe it will take to get the job done?