We copyright because we are greedy. As simple as that. Why isn't Socrates copyrighted anymore? How and why is the Bard "open source"? (you could make a movie called Romeo and Juliet based on the same story and no one would sue you for doing that). Simple. Cause its been so goddamm long, it doesn't matter anymore. But publishing houses still make money publishing his works, don't they? How much money did Shakespeare make from his writings? Looking back, does that make any difference at all? What is a sonnet worth? What is Enter Sandman worth? 50 years from now, would the Beatles' music be treated like Beethoven's and Bach's? Whether we agree with it or not, copyright of art is a meaningless, nauseating concept. Sooner or later, it will go.