Instead of a nominal fee, there needs to be ad valorem taxation (at say a 1-2% rate per annum) on a declared value which also serves as a binding offer to sell the work into the public domain at the stated price. That way, anyone can keep their long copyright, but only as long as they are willing to pay a fair price for keeping the work out of the public domain.
There should be an initial period of several years (somewhere in the 7-13 range) where copyright remains free.
There should be an initial period of several years (somewhere in the 7-13 range) where copyright remains free.