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Heald, Paul J. --- "The effect of copyright law on access to works" [2019] ELECD 1985; in Depoorter, Ben; Menell, Peter; Schwartz, David (eds), "Research Handbook on the Economics of Intellectual Property Law" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 605

Book Title: Research Handbook on the Economics of Intellectual Property Law

Editor(s): Depoorter, Ben; Menell, Peter; Schwartz, David

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 27

Section Title: The effect of copyright law on access to works

Author(s): Heald, Paul J.

Number of pages: 11

Abstract/Description:

Empirical research suggests strongly that copyright law—or at least excessive term length—has a negative effect on the public availability of works. Books, for example, become more available when they fall into the public domain. Also, follow-on works, such as audiobooks, are created at a higher rate after the underlying work falls into the public domain. In addition, for the most popular works, copyright is associated with significantly higher prices, which affects accessibility. Empirical evidence of other copyright-related market constraints is presented.