Senator Josh Hawley has proposed a bill that, if successful, would see Disney immediately lose the copyright for the original Mickey Mouse.
As reported by Deadline, the bill would ultimately reduce copyright protections from 95 years to 56 if it passes, meaning Disney would lose its older copyrights.
While the bill itself generically refers to entertainment or theme park corporations with a market capitalization of more than $150 billion, Hawley mentions "woke corporations like Disney" before blatantly saying "it's time to take away Disney's special privileges".
He said in a press release: "The age of Republican handouts to Big Business is over. Thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, woke corporations like Disney have earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists. It’s time to take away Disney’s special privileges and open up a new era of creativity and innovation."
The bill is the latest in a string of Republican moves against Disney after the company spoke against the Parental Rights in Education Law, which bars discussion of gender identity from kindergarten until grade three.
Mickey Mouse isn't the only Disney character at risk of falling to copyright legislation as a legal battle between Marvel and heirs of comic book legend Steve Ditko began last September.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Continue reading...
As reported by Deadline, the bill would ultimately reduce copyright protections from 95 years to 56 if it passes, meaning Disney would lose its older copyrights.
While the bill itself generically refers to entertainment or theme park corporations with a market capitalization of more than $150 billion, Hawley mentions "woke corporations like Disney" before blatantly saying "it's time to take away Disney's special privileges".
He said in a press release: "The age of Republican handouts to Big Business is over. Thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, woke corporations like Disney have earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists. It’s time to take away Disney’s special privileges and open up a new era of creativity and innovation."
The bill is the latest in a string of Republican moves against Disney after the company spoke against the Parental Rights in Education Law, which bars discussion of gender identity from kindergarten until grade three.
Mickey Mouse isn't the only Disney character at risk of falling to copyright legislation as a legal battle between Marvel and heirs of comic book legend Steve Ditko began last September.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Continue reading...