When Robert Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers, copyright was 28 years, or 56 if you are approved for an extension. I&#x27;m not advocating 14 years; I think 28-56 is fair. Clearly Heinlein would have written the book under those terms, because he did.<p>Yes, a Starship Troopers movie would have been released with shorter copyright terms. It is cheaper to make a movie if you do not have to pay for the IP. Movies based on expired works are common, like Disney&#x27;s movies based on books by Lewis Carroll, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm. Derivative works can be very profitable.