[How About This Book] This Sentence Belongs to No One

The World's First Copyright Law 'Queen Anne's Law'
Clearly Defines Creators' Rights but Has Many Loopholes in Publishers' Rights
Copyright Has Become a 'Money-Making Machine'
Pointed Out as a Major Cause of Inequality in Modern Society

The current copyright protection period in the United States lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 70 years after their death. The copyright protection period in the U.S. has been changed several times, often set as multiples of 7, such as 14, 28, 42, and 56 years. The world's first copyright law, enacted in England in 1710, protected existing works for 21 years and new works for 14 years, with the possibility of a 14-year renewal after expiration.

Why has the copyright protection period often been set as a multiple of 7?

The author of Who Owns This Sentence? explains that it is due to the customs of the former Republic of Venice (697?1797). The Republic of Venice was the first place where the concept of privileges granted by patents originated. Venice prospered by mediating trade between the Middle East and Western Europe. Instead of learning luxury goods manufacturing techniques from artisans in T?rkiye and Arriba, Venice granted them exclusive trading rights, which lasted for 7 years. This concept of monopoly influenced modern copyright and patents, which is why copyright protection terms are often multiples of 7 today.

Who Owns This Sentence? covers almost every topic related to copyright. It examines how copyright was created and the decisive events that shaped the modern concept of copyright. These include the so-called “Queen Anne’s Law,” enacted during the reign of Queen Anne in England in 1710 and recognized today as the world’s first copyright law, and the Berne Convention signed in Bern, Switzerland, in 1886. By exploring these developments, the book shows how rapidly the concept of copyright gained influence. Ultimately, the author concludes that “this sentence belongs to no one,” criticizing the harm copyright causes today.

[How About This Book] This Sentence Belongs to No One

The history of copyright is actually quite short. Counting from the enactment of Queen Anne’s Law, it is only about 300 years.

Although Gutenberg invented the printing press in the mid-15th century, enabling mass production of publications, the concept of copyright was still distant. Until the 18th century, people believed that all ideas and intellectual products came from somewhere other than humans. In other words, all ideas were considered gifts from God revealed to the world through the author. Christian doctrine influenced this belief. The author refers to Matthew 10:8, “Freely you have received; freely give.” In fact, a law enacted by the French government in 1725 to regulate publishing in Paris explicitly stated that ideas or texts had no property rights. The sole authority to decide what, who, and when to publish belonged to the king.

The concept of intellectual property arose as belief in the origin of creations shifted from God to individual humans. This also sparked disputes over rights among individuals surrounding creative works.

Queen Anne’s Law was created to coordinate copyright between creators and publishers. It granted creators rights to their works for 14 years, but allowed publishers to purchase those rights through contracts. However, the law had many flaws. Most notably, it clearly limited creators’ rights but did not specify how much rights publishers who contracted with creators could own. This left room for interpretation favoring publishers over creators. The author points out that this contradiction sparked unresolved debates for centuries, indirectly criticizing today’s large corporations that buy creators’ copyrights and earn huge profits.

Professor John Feather of Loughborough University, who studied Queen Anne’s Law thoroughly, even argued that copyright was created to ensure that a few wealthy capitalists controlled (book) production and that a few London companies continued to dominate the British publishing industry.

The issue of piracy also needed to be addressed. When excellent works were created in London, pirate editions were soon produced in Edinburgh, Scotland, leading to frequent lawsuits between London and Edinburgh publishers. This was the background for the signing of the Berne Convention in 1886.

The book examines how the concept of copyright, which originated in publishing, gradually expanded to painting, theater and film, portrait rights, and personality rights. It also criticizes how the economic influence of copyright has grown as its concept expanded. Ultimately, copyright has become a huge money-making machine today and is a major cause of inequality in modern society.

Fifty years ago, the annual global scale of intellectual property license agreements between countries was less than 1 billion dollars. However, according to the World Bank, this figure rose to 508 billion dollars in 2021.

More than a quarter of the global intellectual property license fees flow into the United States. The U.S. earns a net profit of 80 billion dollars annually from other countries. In contrast, Afghanistan earned only 225 dollars from intellectual property in 2020. Over the past few decades, the U.S. has strengthened intellectual property protection laws to secure profits. This is quite ironic considering that in the 19th century, the U.S., a young nation with no intellectual property of its own, illegally copied books published in Europe by countries such as England, France, and Germany.

The author concludes by stating that the concept of copyright was full of imperfections from its inception and urges serious reflection on who copyright truly serves today.