Are you arguing for illegal use of legally protected works? - Edit 1
Before modification by Aeryn at 04/01/2012 09:37:19 PM
It's not like those books, films, etc aren't accessible in some way - most often for next to nothing.
But they cannot be disseminated freely and legally, and are subject to a myriad contrictions.
If the song is in the public domain, then you can sample it, sing your version of it, and sell it, without asking for permission and paying royalties. Public domain books are available for free over the Internet, and free to publishers - allowing for much cheaper copies.
Most of all, I do believe that extended copyrights are harmful, as they remove the incentive to create and innovate. Why should a publishing company look for new authors when they can keep collecting royalties from existing books for the next 100+ years?