Originally Posted by GatorB

People knew who wrote Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Disney has in fact made BILLIONS off of works because copyright had run out. Now they are the biggest reason why copyright has essentially become perpetual. Which by the way is a violation of the Constitution. Why the Supreme Court doesn't think so is beyond me.

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries

By continually extending copyright it makes it perpetual which is against the constiution.

Since when is 95 years even logically considered "limited times"? When our founding fathers were around copyright was 14 years. HUGE difference between 14 and 95 years. Honeslty do I have to wait until 2085 to make a copy of Windows 3.0 without violating copyright? See how fucking stupid that is?

Do you know songs written by Irving Berlin in 1924 are protected until 2059? Why? Because works by individuals are protected for 70 years after they die and he had the gall to live to be 101 and thus didn't die until 1989. Does ANYONE need their works protected for 135 years? Imagine if stuff written in 1876 were still under copyright? Seriously do Irving Berlin's great-great-great-great grandkids have some kind special right to keep his work off of public domain because their ancestor they never met did something?

Essentially NOTHING created after 1923 will EVER be "public domain". God forbid someone in 2022 decides to use Steamboat Willy without having to ask Disney.

FACT: If you haven't made any money off your shit after 50 years then tough shit and you suck. The fact is 50 years is PLENTY of time for you to make money. After that it should be public domain.