Well, if you have a big company where the main asset is some copyrighted material and the creator suddenly dies, that company might suddenly lose a lot of revenue possibly affecting the life of a large number of people. (Of course, you might say, that's business and it just means that another large number of people now have a new business opportunity.)
I think the current life+70 years is wrong, but I think the expiry should be predictable some time in advance. Like X years from the time of creation.
A lot of money is the only thing that motivates? That's just sad.
I think you're wrong, though. If you're only going for the money, you're not motivated by what you are doing, you're just a mercenary. To me real motivation is someone who is passionate and loves what he is doing, and would be doing it with the same passion even if it never would make him a dime.
I think the current life+70 years is wrong, but I think the expiry should be predictable some time in advance. Like X years from the time of creation.