MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Will there be another US copyright extension?

pdurrant · 04-06-2011, 05:02 AM

We're now over 12 years into the 20 year copyright extension provided by the Copyright Term Extension Act in the US.

The first Mickey Mouse cartoon is set to enter the public domain (if it's not already public domain because of a flawed copyright notice) on 1st January 2024, less than 13 years away.

Since Congress has already pulled some public domain works back into copyright (and the Supreme Court is soon to decide whether that's constitutional), perhaps we will see an attempt to simplify the current terribly complicated US copyright length rules, and impose a simple lifetime+70 rule for everything? That would give Mickey another 13 years to 1st January 2037.

Or even, to harmonise with Mexico, lifetime+100? That would lock Mickey away safely until 1st January 2067.

It will be interesting to see if anything is brought forward in the next few years.

04-06-2011, 05:02 AM	#1
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 71,492 Karma: 306214458 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	Will there be another US copyright extension? We're now over 12 years into the 20 year copyright extension provided by the Copyright Term Extension Act in the US. The first Mickey Mouse cartoon is set to enter the public domain (if it's not already public domain because of a flawed copyright notice) on 1st January 2024, less than 13 years away. Since Congress has already pulled some public domain works back into copyright (and the Supreme Court is soon to decide whether that's constitutional), perhaps we will see an attempt to simplify the current terribly complicated US copyright length rules, and impose a simple lifetime+70 rule for everything? That would give Mickey another 13 years to 1st January 2037. Or even, to harmonise with Mexico, lifetime+100? That would lock Mickey away safely until 1st January 2067. It will be interesting to see if anything is brought forward in the next few years.