" What it means to most of us is that Google books will be able to show the full text of many books instead of snippets, the Internet Archive will be able to add more books, movies and music, and teachers, students and others are free to use previously copyrighted material for research or creative endeavors. Schools can put on plays that were copyrighted. Films can be remade. Poems can be quoted without violating copyright laws."
Just wait until 2020 (2023?) when the first version of mickey mouse, steamboat willie, will be in the public domain. The company that made the horrible long copyright hold’s most precious character will be free to use.
Speaking of Disney, they’re the ones who lobbied for such long copyright terms, because in 1998 Mickey Mouse’s first appearance (in the 1928 cartoon Steamboat Willie) was close to losing its copyright.
so y, the 75 years were over in 1998 but Disney managed to prevent these things from entering the public domain then, and they’ll probably manage to do it again before 2024…
and even if not, they will probably have it declared a national treasure, or list it as part of some Cartoon UNESCO heritage, with similar style protections like EU pdo rules “only Disney certified” -extending their rights in perpetuity
-extending their rights in perpetuity 