My answer to this is that authors (and other creatives) should have a right to recoup the costs (including time) of their efforts, but currently the time period for doing so is ridiculously (too) long.
We're talking decades:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries%27_copyright...
In the US, the original copyright term was 14 years, and if the author was alive after the end of that there was another (optional?) 14 year extension:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_copyright_law_of_th...
Later, the initial period was set to 28 years, with an optional 14 year extension.
IMHO, if one couldn't make a go of one's work after 2+ decades, then other people really should be allowed to have a kick at the can.
