Mickey and Minnie Mouse Enter Public Domain on Monday

[Doom]

Technically only the black-and-white 1928 versions the classic designs were introduced decades later and the color scheme is still protected. Any company producing their own Mickey it will have to be in black and white with the exact same design as in Steamboat Willie or else it is a violation.

Since the expiration of the 20-year extension of 1998 expired In 2019, lots of stuff has entered the public domain, but this is the biggest yet, in the next decade, there will be more, including characters like Bugs Bunny, Batman and Superman.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

I never thought it would happen. I thought Disney would $$$$$$$ another extension through Congress.

[Doom]

I never thought it would happen. I thought Disney would $$$$$$$ another extension through Congress.

Disney had little to do with the last two extensions, you realize that right? The 1978 extension was required by the treaty, no lobbying was done or needed, it was required to bring US law into conformity with the Berne Convention which was recently amended and which America signed. The 1998 extension was a favor to the music industry, not Hollywood, remember it is the Sonny Bono act, not the Michael Eisner Act. At any rate, there is no hope of getting any major legislation through this Congress which is the least productive in over 150 years, they can't even pass a budget, let alone a major revision of a major law.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Check out the Wikipedia article. It says that Disney was one of the backers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright ... ension_Act

[peregrinator]

remember it is the Sonny Bono act, not the Michael Eisner Act

Gonna venture a guess that it's called the Sonny Bono Act because he sponsored the legislation while he was in Congress.

ETA: I was wrong, it was named in his memory.

[Doom]

But my point is that he was a musician and he owned hundreds of songs, not just his own but by dozens of other artists, therefore his concerns were

1. Protect my personal copyrights on the music I own
2. Protect my personal copyrights on the music I own
3, Protect my personal copyrights on the music I own
4. Protect my personal copyrights on the music I own

and especially
5. Protect my personal copyrights on the music I own

And if you go back and read the debate over the act in the Congressional record and you'll see that the entire debate was centered on music with barely a mention of books or movies.

One particular song was the center of the debate, Rhapsody in Blue, which was set to go into the public domain on January 1, 1999. Orrin Hatch made a ridiculous, demagogic speech about that song, in which he claimed that if it went into the public domain, then it will disappear forever and future generations won't be able to hear it, a truly ridiculous claim given that copyright expiration often revives public interest in works long forgotten, or never even noticed. Just look at what happened to It's A Wonderful Life after it went into the public domain in 1974, a huge flop when it was first released in 1946, it became a beloved Christmas classic thanks to going into the Public Domain, making it a free movie for local stations to show at Christmas.

[Doom]

Similarly, Disney has been worried for decades about Steamboat Willie going to the Public Domain, but what will almost certainly happen is that in a few months, it will be all over the Internet, and a dozen or more YouTube channels will host it, giving it more exposure than it has had in 50 years or more, creating a mini (no pun intended!) Renaissance of interest in Mickey and Minnie Mouse, making Disney tens of millions of dollars as people start buying up Mickey Mouse merchandise. It will probably be the best thing that ever happened to Disney.

[anawim]

Just look at what happened to It's A Wonderful Life after it went into the public domain in 1974, a huge flop when it was first released in 1946, it became a beloved Christmas classic thanks to going into the Public Domain, making it a free movie for local stations to show at Christmas.

It went into public domain in 1971. I was a senior in h. s. It was 25 years after its release. We actually had an impromptu discussion about the movie in English class. The idea that it was 1974 seems to originate with the BBC. But they got it wrong.

[peregrinator]

It should have been 28 years after its release according to the copyright laws of the time.

[anawim]

It should have been 28 years after its release according to the copyright laws of the time.

The Sound Recording Act of 1971 became effective in Feb. 15, 1972.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Wikipedia says 1974.

[anawim]

Wikipedia says 1974.

Wikipedia is getting their info from a book that quotes the BBC. The BBC got it wrong.

I had a few excellent teachers in h. s., but my senior English teacher was the academic version of nurse Ratched. Rhymes with witch. So the fact that she let us have a discussion about the movie was totally out of character.

Dec. 1971.

[peregrinator]

It should have been 28 years after its release according to the copyright laws of the time.

The Sound Recording Act of 1971 became effective in Feb. 15, 1972.

I don't see how that's relevant. It's a Wonderful Life was published in 1946 under the Copyright Act of 1909 which specifies a 28-year initial term and a 28-year renewal term.

[anawim]

Perhaps it aired for the first time in Britain in 1974, but it aired for the first time in the US in Dec. of '71. The fact that my Senior English teacher would make the Visigoths look like the Welcome Wagon is not the best reason to remember something, but, here we are. If anyone chooses not to believe me, have at it. I was there, you weren't. Just thought that I would set the record straight. Now you know.

[Kage_ar]

I never thought it would happen. I thought Disney would $$$$$$$ another extension through Congress.

My inner conspiracy theorist says Disney was happy about this one. They are well known to enforce the h e double hockey sticks out of their IP, so, when Joe or Jayne Anyperson does not understand the specifics of what Mickey is and is not in the Public Domain, Disney can bring in even more $$ from lawsuits! Win Win!

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

I don't know how much they'll make. They'll issue a lot of cease-and-desist orders, I'm sure.