Pluralistic: How labor rights rescued Ultima from a monopolist (12 Oct 2026)

Blog · Watch/Read · (gathered 2026-10-14)

• Cory Doctorow argues that creative workers should prioritize labor rights over copyright for economic protection, framing copyright as a “trap” that, despite expansions, primarily benefits monopolistic media companies at creators’ expense due to unequal bargaining power.
• The post highlights “termination of transfer” as a crucial labor right (not an “IP right”), allowing creators to reclaim their copyright after 35 years, regardless of contract terms. Recent examples include Richard Garriott reacquiring the Ultima series from Electronic Arts, Bill Willingham releasing Fables into the public domain, and Gary K Wolf reclaiming Roger Rabbit.
• Doctorow, drawing from his book Chokepoint Capitalism, advocates for strengthening this systemic solution (e.g., to an automatic 20-year termination right) to put money in creators’ pockets. He advises creators who signed away rights 35 years ago to explore termination via resources like the Authors Alliance.