The social contract is "we will protect your works, but in exchange everyone gets them after a time." This is true for patents and copyright.
We did our part, we protected their works for the period agreed, but instead of them doing their part (releasing them freely) they changed the rules at the last minute.
You make it sound like this is some small business or individual we're dealing with, which is simply a mis-characterisation. The people who made these works are dead, these are corporations.
The social contract is "we will protect your works, but in exchange everyone gets them after a time." This is true for patents and copyright.
We did our part, we protected their works for the period agreed, but instead of them doing their part (releasing them freely) they changed the rules at the last minute.
You make it sound like this is some small business or individual we're dealing with, which is simply a mis-characterisation. The people who made these works are dead, these are corporations.