Josh Hawley wants to strip Disney of copyright to Mickey Mouse

Walt Disney Co. could eliminate its copyright to Mickey Mouse if a top rated Republican senator has his way.

Sen. Josh Hawley, the GOP lawmaker from Missouri, proposed laws on Tuesday that would restrict its copyright safety for the legendary cartoon rodent to 56 many years.

Hawley’s proposed laws arrives just weeks right after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into regulation a evaluate that will strip Disney of its autonomous, self-governing status in excess of its topic parks and resorts in and all around Orlando.

DeSantis signed the legislation following Disney arrived out in opposition to the Parental Legal rights in Education Legislation, which critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” invoice. The law bars gender identity or sexual orientation education and learning to kids ahead of they achieve fourth quality.

Hawley’s evaluate, the Copyright Clause Restoration Act, would retroactively implement to Disney’s copyright to the primary layout of Mickey Mouse, who was very first released almost a century ago in the 1928 release of the 8-minute-extended animated film “Steamboat Willie.”

If passed into regulation, Disney would retroactively lose copyright to the Mickey Mouse character initial introduced in the 1928 animated film “Steamboat Willie.”

At the time “Steamboat Willie” was launched, Disney’s copyright for Mickey Mouse was safeguarded for 56 many years.

When the copyright was about to expire in 1984, Disney lobbied the federal governing administration to pass the Copyright Act of 1976, which extended protections for 75 many years.

In 1998, Disney all over again lobbied for an extension on its copyright, and the federal government obliged, granting it copyright possession for 95 yrs.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, proposed a bill that would restrict copyright protections to 56 several years.

AP

The latest copyright reform is due to expire in 2024, and best GOP officers have said they will not assistance another extension of copyright protections.

Even if the Mickey Mouse from “Steamboat Willie” enters the general public domain, Disney nevertheless holds the copyright for other versions of the character, which include sorcerer Mickey from the movie “Fantasia.”

“The age of Republican handouts to Major Company is about,” Hawley explained in a statement. “Thanks to exclusive copyright protections from Congress, woke organizations like Disney have earned billions while more and more pandering to woke activists.”

Hawley is getting a page out of the playbook of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed into a legislation a evaluate that would strip Walt Disney Environment of its self-governing standing.

AP

“It’s time to consider away Disney’s exclusive privileges and open up a new period of creativeness and innovation.”

Very last month, Hawley’s GOP colleague in the Property, Jim Banking companies of Indiana, slammed Disney for making an attempt to appease “far-left activists by means of hypocritical, woke corporate steps.”

“Given Disney’s ongoing perform with a Communist Chinese routine that does not regard human rights or US mental house and specified your wish to influence youthful little ones with sexual product inappropriate for their age, I will not assist additional extensions relevant to your copyrights, which should really grow to be general public domain,” Banking companies wrote in a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek.

Hawley’s invoice is not likely to go given that the Democrats control the Senate.

Josh Hawley wants to strip Disney of copyright to Mickey Mouse