The stated goal of copyright protection in the United States is to "...promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts". Given Disney's fierce protection of an

The stated goal of copyright protection in the United States is to "...promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts". Given Disney's fierce protection of ancient copyrights and attempts to have their length endlessly extended AND the importance Disney places on their old properties... would a shorter copyright term in fact meet this goal better by forcing Disney to produce new characters and new series? There is little "progress" in endlessly hashing out Mickey Mouse, so if he were forced in to the public domain Disney would be forced to create new characters to keep making money. Disney is just the example I am using to illustrate the point, this train of thought applies to most film studios. Long copyright terms are making it more desirable to keep squeezing your old work over creating something new.