When a copyright has ended and books that I have written have been passed down to my children's children and their children, why does the book become a public domain. Why can anyone just publish that book. Surely at the end of the 70 years the then owners of the book still own that book and must still have rights to the ownership. How can I ensure that what ever family member ends up with my work, that they keep sole ownership of that copyright.
If this law was changed, it would be in the best interests of all writers. All thou we ourselves wouldn't benefit from it, but our distant ancestors would.
Though we may wish to change the Law to suit what we would like, it isn't possible without protracted and expensive legal wrangling (and possibly a Bill through Parliament). Property and 'solid' possessions come under the heading of 'Real Estate'. The best your distant family can hope for is to be known as the grandchild or great-grandchild (and so on) of the writer, artist, etc. Let those people bask in the reflected glory of your work.
I don't agree with any book going into the public domain. It should still be the rightful property of future ancestors. A house and other property in a persons possession which has been passed down is still owned by them, unless they sell it.