orphan works
“Orphan work is a copyrighted work for which the copyright owner cannot be found”
/used:/
To suggest that a work is somehow harmed when an official “owner” is not identifiable
May obscure the real problem which is long copyright term and lack of copyright register
On positive side it is a term which helped identify and raise awareness about a valid problems of current copyright system
/recommendations:/
Use with caution, point out that the problem of orphan works is internal defect of an oppressive copyright system and unrealistic assumptions it’s based on
Stress the point that the real problem is long copyright term and inadequate protection of public domain
Make a point that in the real world most of works outside of commercial production quickly become orphaned and usually anonymous works