5 ms·

Legal? For an over sixty-year-old show, where all the participants are long dead? Plainly an area where the law is in the wrong, and public domain stolen from

Legal? For an over sixty-year-old show, where all the participants are long dead? Plainly an area where the law is in the wrong, and public domain stolen from.

KerrAvon 4y ago
> These exclusive rights are subject to a time limit, and generally expire 70 years after the author's death or 95 years after publication. In the United States, works published before January 1, 1927, are in the public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_United_St... It's a bit more complicated for pre-1978 works, but that's the gist. It's been this way for a long time; if you want to shorten the copyright period, you must change the law.
- ghayes 4y ago
  If the time period keeps getting extended, then it's just a more complicated way of saying "indefinitely."
  - vkou 4y ago
    It stopped getting extended a few years ago, and old works have once again started entering the public domain.
    - aftbit 4y ago
      As far as I can tell, the last extension (sometimes called the Mickey Mouse protection act) was in 1998[1]. Steamboat Willie (the first Mickey Mouse film) will enter public domain in 2024 if nothing changes before then.[2] I guess we still have to wait 2 more years to see if Disney is able to extend copyright again, or if they plan to take a softer approach to protect the Empire this time. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie#Copyright_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie#Copyright_sta... bonus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Bell%27s_graph_showing_extension_of_U.S._copyright_term_over_time.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Bell%27s_graph_showin...
      - digisign 4y ago
        They've been losing support of Republicans due to their increasingly lefty posture, so their power over congress may be waning. Guess we'll see.
        digisign 4y ago
        Who downvoted this factual statement? https://news.yahoo.com/disney-stock-drops-florida-republicans-122704957.html https://news.yahoo.com/disney-stock-drops-florida-republican...
      - aidenn0 4y ago
        Disney has at least claimed that they are not pursuing a further extension. The official stance is that its because trademarks and such give them sufficient protection, but it seems likely that the negative publicity around the Sunny Bono act is also related.
        labster 4y ago
        Between the bad publicity WDC has been getting for supporting trans rights, not supporting trans rights enough, and funding a self-described cabal in the city of Anaheim, they should definitely be keeping a low profile in politics right now.
        fmajid 4y ago
        Apparently the GOP is explicitly targeting Disney-influenced copyright extensions in retaliation for its CEO's milquetoast criticism of the Flrodia anti-LGBT legislation: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-disney-ceo-oppose-copyright-renewal-political-sexual-agenda https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-disney-ceo-oppo... (not that I am endorsing Faux News, but you can rely on them to transcribe the party's agenda faithfully).

Legal? For an over sixty-year-old show, where all the participants are long dead? Plainly an area where the law is in the wrong, and public domain stolen from.

KerrAvon 4y ago

> These exclusive rights are subject to a time limit, and generally expire 70 years after the author's death or 95 years after publication. In the United States, works published before January 1, 1927, are in the public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_United_St... It's a bit more complicated for pre-1978 works, but that's the gist. It's been this way for a long time; if you want to shorten the copyright period, you must change the law.

ghayes 4y ago
If the time period keeps getting extended, then it's just a more complicated way of saying "indefinitely."
- vkou 4y ago
  It stopped getting extended a few years ago, and old works have once again started entering the public domain.
  - aftbit 4y ago
    As far as I can tell, the last extension (sometimes called the Mickey Mouse protection act) was in 1998[1]. Steamboat Willie (the first Mickey Mouse film) will enter public domain in 2024 if nothing changes before then.[2] I guess we still have to wait 2 more years to see if Disney is able to extend copyright again, or if they plan to take a softer approach to protect the Empire this time. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie#Copyright_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie#Copyright_sta... bonus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Bell%27s_graph_showing_extension_of_U.S._copyright_term_over_time.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Bell%27s_graph_showin...
    - digisign 4y ago
      They've been losing support of Republicans due to their increasingly lefty posture, so their power over congress may be waning. Guess we'll see.
      - digisign 4y ago
        Who downvoted this factual statement? https://news.yahoo.com/disney-stock-drops-florida-republicans-122704957.html https://news.yahoo.com/disney-stock-drops-florida-republican...
    - aidenn0 4y ago
      Disney has at least claimed that they are not pursuing a further extension. The official stance is that its because trademarks and such give them sufficient protection, but it seems likely that the negative publicity around the Sunny Bono act is also related.
      - labster 4y ago
        Between the bad publicity WDC has been getting for supporting trans rights, not supporting trans rights enough, and funding a self-described cabal in the city of Anaheim, they should definitely be keeping a low profile in politics right now.
      - fmajid 4y ago
        Apparently the GOP is explicitly targeting Disney-influenced copyright extensions in retaliation for its CEO's milquetoast criticism of the Flrodia anti-LGBT legislation: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-disney-ceo-oppose-copyright-renewal-political-sexual-agenda https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-disney-ceo-oppo... (not that I am endorsing Faux News, but you can rely on them to transcribe the party's agenda faithfully).