Laws are protected by copyright and documents incorporated by reference into the law may be placed online.

The model building codes which are both incorporated by reference into many laws and are protected by copyright as model building codes, provided the test case.

Veeck v SBCCI

http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/293_F3d_791.htm

Those were works made by the government, so they're automatically in the public domain. I don't see why you're against Mr. King having the copyright on the speech he wrote and gave?

MLK said those words to move governments and their people, to everyone and anyone that would listen.

Some things are too important to lock down and copyright, at least not until 2038.

With copyright, he/his heirs get to decide how it can be used, such as selling Coke. (They didn't have to decide "sell Coke".)

> Some things are too important to lock down and copyright, at least not until 2038.

And the copyright law language embodying that principle is?

It doesn't exist in copyright law, but may be it should? If enough people think it should be, we can write it down and make it law.

I was unclear. I wasn't asking for an existing law that implements your idea. I was asking for language that does.

> If enough people think it should be, we can write it down and make it law.

Oh really? If enough people think that pi should be 3, can we pass a law and it will be so?

There are lots of things that people want that can't be codified with the desired properties. This is something that looks (to me) to be on the edge.

How about some other examples? (If it's just "I have a dream", we can pass specific legislation.)