A group of 16 organizations of writers, artists, musicians, cartoonists and publishers has issued a statement asking the Cultural Affairs Agency to extend copyright protection from 50 years after their deaths to 70 years -- just as in Europe and North America.

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"Unless the protection is extended to 70 years as quickly as possible, criticism from overseas will mount," said Hiromi Kawakami, a senior official at the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers.

"The problem will become global when the copyright protection for music of John Lennon and Elvis Presley expires," Kawakami said.

This spring, Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, and Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, sent letters to then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, asking him to extend copyright protection.

Novelist Masahiro Mita, vice president of the Japan Writers Association, said behind the request is an increase in life expectancy and the idea that families depend on the money they get from copyrights even after the artists have died.

"Especially in Japan, there are many 'I' novels, and authors have made subject matter of their family's private business," he said, indicating it is natural for relatives to receive royalties for a long time.

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Hideaki Shirata, an assistant professor at Hosei University, opposes the extension of copyright protection.

"Culture should be a public property which can be enjoyed freely by all people. A cultural life is the one in which many people can get in touch with works and can easily take part in creation," he said.

"The extension of copyright protection will narrow that down."

This is extremely disheartening.  More people need to read Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture.

Truth unfolds in time through a communal process.