Mickey Mouse Killed the Public Domain

In 1998, a mouse changed U.S. copyright law forever—and nearly destroyed the public domain in the process. In today's dispatch, Jonny talks about the importance of the public domain for artists and writers, how corporations have pushed for absurd extensions to copyright terms in order to profit off long-dead creators, and what we can do to fix it.

Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his family, a dog, and three adorable typewriters. His fiction has appeared in Creative Colloquy, Grit City Magazine, and All Worlds Wayfarer. You can find more of his writing and subscribe to his monthly email newsletter at jweberle.com.

Dispatches with Jonny Eberle is a production of Obscure Studios. Music by Amurich from Pixabay. Find more shows at www.obscurestudios.net. Thanks for listening!

Transcript: https://obscurestudios.net/podcasts/podcast-transcripts/transcripts-dispatches-with-jonny-eberle/dispatches-s2e1-transcript/

Original post: https://jweberle.com/2014/01/07/how-mickey-mouse-killed-the-public-domain/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.