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Rufus Pollock
Personal blog · rufuspollock.com · on HN as rufuspollockeconomicsphilosophy
Rufus Pollock's personal blog at rufuspollock.com covers economics and philosophy. Since 2018, 12 different Hacker News readers have linked it 13 times, most often “Forever Minus a Day? Calculating Optimal Copyright Term (2009) [pdf]”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-09-09, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (9) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Rufus Pollock's site mainly for his paper on the optimal copyright term, which commenters cite in debates on copyright duration. The paper is said to suggest roughly 14–15 years.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 9 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Inquiry and action for a radically wiser world
Most-linked posts?
- Forever Minus a Day? Calculating Optimal Copyright Term (2009) [pdf]6 people · 7 mentions · first linked 2018-12-20
What Hacker News says?
Originally copyright was for 14 years from publication, with an optional 14 year renewal. So variable terms aren't unheard-of — you just ask the copyright office if it's been renewed. Coincidentally (or not) this term is very close to the estimated economically optimal copyright term.[1] [1] https://rufuspollock.com/papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
Comment linking /papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
on “For First Time in More Than 20 Years, Copyrighted Works Will Enter Public Domain”Submitted Forever Minus a Day? Calculating Optimal Copyright Term (2009) [pdf] as a story · 2 points
HN discussionCopyright law is not supposed to create fairness. It is supposed to benefit society as a whole. If protection is too long, limited access to (and reuse of) existing work reduces the benefits of having a law. If protection is too short, some works may not get created due to the lack of incentives. Someone attempted to calculate an optimal duration, and concluded it was about 15 years: https://rufuspollock.com/papers/…
Comment linking /papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
on “For First Time in More Than 20 Years, Copyrighted Works Will Enter Public Domain”Submitted Why Open Source Software Matters for Government and Civic Tech (2016) as a story · 2 points
HN discussionIs this the paper to which you are referring? https://rufuspollock.com/papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
Comment linking /papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
on “Mickey Mouse and Batman will soon be public domain”Submitted Jeff Bezos on Fast, High Quality Decision-Making as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSomeone once tried to calculate the optimal duration, and came up with 15 years: https://rufuspollock.com/papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf I do not think law should be calculated (it sounds too much like hiding your political values behind science) but it's worth trying - just to see what assumptions you need to make.
Comment linking /papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
on “Copyright doesn't need 95 years to get the job done”Submitted Ubernomics: Platform Monopolies and How to Fix Them as a story · 1 points
HN discussionNo, millions of existing copyrighted works are not automatically examples of works which would not have been created without copyright. Compensation is also not synonymous with exclusive rights. Academics have already calculated the optimal balance, in particular the optimal copyright term. It's probably in the region of the original 14 years instead of the current ~150. https://rufuspollock.com/papers/optimal_copyr…
Comment linking /papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
on “Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive”I would personally argue that as the amount of money and time required for distribution has gone down, the duration of copyright should also go down. 14+14 years was the first federal rule in the United States, and that was in an era where even electric telegraphs didn’t exist and it took several days just to send a letter 100 miles. Actually, don’t even listen to me. In 2007, an economist named Rufus Pollock did re…
Comment linking /papers/optimal_copyright_term_talk_stanford.pdf
on “What will enter the public domain in 2022”yes it does.. see: https://rufuspollock.com/2011/01/31/copyright-is-a-monopoly-...
Comment linking /2011/01/31/copyright-is-a-monopoly-and-isnt-like-normal-property/
on “Another AI company wrote us and here’s our response”No incentive might be hyperbolic, but this is an HN comment. I meant less incentive. https://rufuspollock.com/papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
Comment linking /papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf
on “The ITC declares Google infringed on audio tech patents held by Sonos [pdf]”I'd long assumed that writing success was mostly a function of exponential returns on randomly-assigned initial success[0], so as someone who tries to practice Active Open Mindedness[1], I mentally noted this mere hours ago: > I’m always suspicious that everything is fake and good writers aren’t actually good and it’s just a social conspiracy to believe that they are, but these results are a vote in support of our e…
Comment linking /2017/12/10/tetlock-gardner-2015-superforecasting-the-art-and-science-of-prediction/
on “So You Want to be a Writer (2016)”