Why is Burnetts student film an example of why copyright should be abolished?
If we shortened copyright terms back to their original lengths it would be able to be distributed today. If we made exceptions for student works that were shown for free, the problem would be solved. If music copyrights had similar standardized royalty terms for use in film as they do for use on radio, problem solved. He uses what he wants, pays a percentage of gross receipts to ASCAP or another such organization, and he’s good. If the film was that great, an altruistic soul or money-motivated distributor could have thrown some resources at dealing with the music clearance issues. And its scarcity may be one of the driving factors of its legendary status. If we could all see it, it might be that 99.9% of those who saw it would walk away understanding why no one ponied up the resources to get it released sooner. And last, but not least, Burnett could have allied himself with some blues musicians to generate original music for the film or licensed stock music at reasonable prices. Not be
