Critics argue the Green Party's Manifesto section on Intellectual Property will discourage people from making movies, writing books - even making enjoyable TV shows.
The party wants to reduce the standard duration of copyright to just 14 years from when the work was first made. Current copyright law covers someone's work (if it's a film, book, dramatic or musical work) until 70 years after their death.
So what would be affected by this policy? You might be surprised:
1. Harry Potter
The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997. Yes - 18 years ago! This means that under the Greens' proposal, the copyright would have expired around 2011.
What would it mean to you? You'd be free to make copies of the first Harry Potter book, even sell them and neither JK Rowling or her publishers would make any money off it.
2. The Shawshank Redemption
This is the best film EVER made, according to IMDB's ratings. It came out in 1994 and, under current copyright law, its copyright belongs to the producers and directors until 70 years after the death of the last one.
Under the Greens' proposal, Shawshank Redemption would have been released from copyright in 2008.
You'd be able to make a copy of the film and show it wherever you want. Nobody involved in actually making the film would be able to demand you pay them money.
3. Michael Jackson's Thriller
The best-selling album of all time, Thriller, was released in the early 80s.
Michael Jackson died in 2009 so the copyright should be relinquished in 64 years. Under the Green's policy it would have expired in 1996.
You'd be able to make your own copies of Thriller - but not only that, you could make your own remixes and fan projects based on it. No record company could demand money off you.
BONUS: The Wire
The hit TV show was created in 2002. Under current copyright the copyright expires in 2052 but, under the Greens, the first season would become copyright-free NEXT YEAR.
What's it mean for you? The Wire, copyright free.
That sounds BRILLIANT! Sign me up!
Well there's a counter-argument. All those things were made by people on the understanding that there'd be a big payout if they were successful.
Admittedly, JK Rowling isn't short of a few quid, but for your regular creative person those copyright payments are what helps pay the bills.
If you stop those payments would it stop people from doing creative things? Would it mean the big film studios going out of business?
What about the starving artists?
If the Greens were to put into place the new copyright length, it would be alongside a Citizen's Income. The idea is that most artists and creative types struggle to make ends meet and often have to get second jobs.
This would put a stop to that, by letting them concentrate on making the good stuff.
Thing is, it hasn't gone down particularly well with artists so far. It would have to depend on how much a 'citizen's income' actually works out as being - and how much you fancy yourself as being able to be the next Martin Scorsese.
On the other hand, there are very few people making money off copyright more than 14 years after they made something. And the reason those people and companies are still making money is because they were incredibly successful at the time they did it.
Why 14 years as a cut off?
It's not just been plucked out of the air. In 2007 a PhD candidate from Cambridge found that the optimal length of copyright is 14 years.
He figured that the optimal level of copyright drops as it becomes easier to produce creative pieces of work.
The 14-year copyright length is balanced to encourage people to create new works, but also to enable society as a collective to benefit from such works then becoming public domain. This in turn can inspire new works.
Bonus fact: Under current law, Shakespeare's Hamlet is sort of illegal
Shakespeare's Danish tragedy treads murky legal water. The character of Hamlet first appeared in an earlier play with an unknown author.
So in order to write his play, Shakespeare would have had to wait until at least 70 years from that play's date of publication. This would mean Hamlet couldn't be written until 1659 - and, sadly, Shakespeare died around 1616.
The party has no plans to implement its copyright plans immediately
A Green Party spokesman said:
"Our manifesto for the next parliament says we would ‘make copyright shorter in length, fair and flexible, and prevent patents applying to software’.
"We would consult with copyright holders and the general public to establish an appropriate length, but believe copyright terms should be shorter than they are at present in order to reduce restrictions on our shared cultural heritage.
"Though our long-term vision includes a proposed copyright length of 14 years, we have no plans to implement this in the near future."
Let's face it, the Greens aren't going to be able to dictate copyright law any time soon
But it's interesting to see this issue being pushed from the opposite direction to huge corporate interests who would like to own - and make money from - all human creativity in perpetuity.