Little mermaid, long copyright, big absurdity – Walled Culture

"The reason the heirs were able to bring the case is because Eriksen died in 1959, and so under Danish law his work remains covered by copyright until 2029. The statue was unveiled in 1913, which means that the sculptor’s heirs are still claiming payments well over a hundred years after it was made. Copyright is supposed to be an incentive to create, but it’s absurd to claim that artists are motivated by the thought of earning money for decades after they have died...."