The idea that derivatives of free works should be required to also be free is arguable but definitely coherent. It’s like the GNU Public Licence applied to works by law or custom instead of by their authors.
It could work like this—for the first 50 years after an original work is published, you have to pay the creator to make copies, including for derivative works. After 50 years you have the additional option of a GPL-like license—you can create free derivatives—but you can still create copy-restricted derivatives if you pay the owner of the original. After the decline and fall of the country, empire or planet housing its copyright registration, or 1000 years, whichever comes first, it becomes public domain.
The idea that derivatives of free works should be required to also be free is arguable but definitely coherent. It’s like the GNU Public Licence applied to works by law or custom instead of by their authors.
It could work like this—for the first 50 years after an original work is published, you have to pay the creator to make copies, including for derivative works. After 50 years you have the additional option of a GPL-like license—you can create free derivatives—but you can still create copy-restricted derivatives if you pay the owner of the original. After the decline and fall of the country, empire or planet housing its copyright registration, or 1000 years, whichever comes first, it becomes public domain.