What copyright law means to me.

When it comes to copyright laws, I actually don't have such a hard time figuring out how I feel about the issue... I think that if you've created a character or some other unique idea, that creation should belong to you for your entire life and, upon your death, should be passed to whomever you have seen fit to continue its legacy properly. All of the talk about whether someone else could "do better" with your character is irrelevant because there's just as much chance that they'll do poorly and potentially ruin everything that you have built. That's a bit radical, I know, but it is a possibility. If you have a unique idea for an existing character, I do believe that you should be heard. If your idea is accepted, that's great; if not, what's the use in getting upset about it? Like it or not, the creator knows better than you because it's his or her own character and, whether they actually have a better vision than you or not, they've earned the right to do what they think is best to preserve their own creation. So, I guess what I'm saying is, if you have an innovative idea for someone else's character or story and it doesn't work out, create your own character and then you can do whatever you want! Once you make something, it should belong to you and you alone.