[LINK] Downer on FTA copyright changes

[Daniel Rose]

>Aside: do you realise that Australian copyright law hardly gives owners
>any wilful way to put their work into the public domain? The passive
>expiration of copyright is one of the few (only?) ways this can be
>achieved. Surely this represents a staggering volume of work that is
>copyrighted against the intent of its own copyright owners.
>


This brings us to an interesting point; if a copyright is never ever
enforced, isn't the effect the same as if it were in the public domain,
excepting those who would avoid it anyway due to risk management? 

Or additionally, are there existing, proposed or USA laws which could give
the state a legal right to bring a case against people who have breached an
unenforced copyright which the owner no longer cares about?