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Monday, March 24, 2003
Free Mickey! The copyright term and the public domain - Dr Matthew Rimmer, inCite
In a victory for corporate control of cultural heritage, the Supreme Court of the United States has rejected a constitutional challenge to the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act 1998 (US) by a majority of seven to two. The statute was literally a 'Mickey Mouse' bill. It had been the result of intense lobbying by a group of powerful corporate copyright holders, most notably Walt Disney, which faced the expiry of its copyright on Mickey Mouse and other famous cartoon characters. The original sponsor of the bill, Congressman and composer Sonny Bono, who found fame working with Cher, wanted copyright to last forever. The legislation extended the term of copyright protection for copyright works from the life of the author plus 50 years, to the life of the author plus 70 years, in line with the European Union.
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