Paying public domain
Paying public domain (, ) is a copyright regime where copies, presentations or performances of a work that has entered the public domain are still subject to royalties, which are payable to the state or to an authors' association. The principle is that revenue from the work of long-dead artists should be used to support creativity of living artists. It may apply only to certain types of work, such as folklore or traditional cultural expressions. However, communities that wish to control their traditional knowledge or cultural expressions may perceive the royalties as an unwelcome tax. Paying public domain regimes have been introduced and withdrawn in several countries. They are still in place in several countries in South America and Africa. Origins Victor Hugo, who also played an important role in developing the Berne Convention, was one of the earlier supporters of the concept of domaine public payant, under which a nominal fee would be charged for copying or performing works in the public domain, and this would go into a common fund dedicated to helping artists, especially young people. There was no post-mortem protection of works, but a period of exploitation that started from the date of publication and could