Suppose we lived in an alternate universe where copyright was 20 years. Period. How would this affect science fiction?

Nobody would ever come up with any cool new stories, because it wouldn't be worth doing all that worldbuilding. 4% (120 votes)
I would be watching a great postmodern Star Trek movie with elves and ninjas RIGHT NOW. 12% (330 votes)
We would get to see more crossovers. Captain Kirk would meet Mal Reynolds every day, sometimes twice a day. 11% (305 votes)
It wouldn't matter that much for movies and TV — who wants to see some fan film anyway? — but it would make every book saga endless and sprawling. 6% (154 votes)
Paradoxically, you'd see fewer Dune and Foundation books, because there'd be no money in it. 8% (218 votes)
Remixed and reinvented works would revitalize classic SF — every Heinlein book could have alternate fan edits. 9% (256 votes)
There would be fewer TV and movie sequels. And what there was would be low-budget. 2% (63 votes)
Studios and publishers would be frantically searching for the next twenty-year cash cow. 13% (348 votes)
Surprisingly little would change. 10% (282 votes)
It would be the end of originality in SF altogether. Why bother to create something new when Starfleet and the Force are public domain? 6% (163 votes)
You'd have a million cheap knock-offs, stuff designed to be ALMOST Superman, but still copyrighted. 9% (263 votes)
Sequels, spin-offs and remakes would be rushed into production at light speed. 10% (274 votes)

Total Votes: 2,776

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