There is no way that happens at this point. It’s not procedurally possible for Congress to pass one by the end of the year. Even a Congress that can get things done faster than the Congress we actually have would not be able to do it. Disney would have to have started the process 5 years ago.
And there’s a very good reason for that. Since the last copyright extension, Disney can get everything they want with trademark law instead of copyright. They also saw what happened with public outrage over Net Neutrality; the Internet was nascent the last time copyright was extended, but grassroots mobilization would rise up against them this time around. The fight would be expensive, and they don’t need to have it. They can let Steamboat Willy go into public domain on Jan 1 without any great loss.
People seem to be convinced that the worst thing that can happen will definitely happen. It shows little understanding of how copyright and trademark works, how Congress gets things done, and why Disney doesn’t need to pick a fight on this issue. Their lawyers are evil, but not dumb.
Especially when Disney has been going through a bunch of bullshit against DeSantis. His petty fight against the company also means the party that controls the House will be actively working against them just because they can.
There is no way that happens at this point. It’s not procedurally possible for Congress to pass one by the end of the year. Even a Congress that can get things done faster than the Congress we actually have would not be able to do it. Disney would have to have started the process 5 years ago.
And there’s a very good reason for that. Since the last copyright extension, Disney can get everything they want with trademark law instead of copyright. They also saw what happened with public outrage over Net Neutrality; the Internet was nascent the last time copyright was extended, but grassroots mobilization would rise up against them this time around. The fight would be expensive, and they don’t need to have it. They can let Steamboat Willy go into public domain on Jan 1 without any great loss.
I’ve been saying this for three years now: https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/lbyttl/comment/gm00zl0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
And 5 months ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/12yh7to/comment/jhnj7k4/
People seem to be convinced that the worst thing that can happen will definitely happen. It shows little understanding of how copyright and trademark works, how Congress gets things done, and why Disney doesn’t need to pick a fight on this issue. Their lawyers are evil, but not dumb.
I mean… The last decade or so of general events seems to suggest that’s the most likely outcome in most situations.
So much so that their brain fell out?
Especially when Disney has been going through a bunch of bullshit against DeSantis. His petty fight against the company also means the party that controls the House will be actively working against them just because they can.