Board 8 > Is anything big/relevant ever going to enter public domain?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I know Disney fucking ruined things entering public domain for years to come, but I was reading up on copyright laws and apparently there are things that could have been entering public domain since 2001, but the majority of stuff is still like 20 some years from entering public domain.
---

Basically the public domain opens up next year for things published between 1923 and 1964. But I believe most of those can have their copyright renewed (and probably will if a corporate studio owns the rights).

So I wouldn't count on anything interesting, save some jazz recordings and musicals maybe.
---

Reading up on the renewal laws it seems like everything from before 1964, except for things already renewed, are already public domain. Basically everything from 1964 onward is copyrighted for 95 years.
---

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Reading up on the renewal laws it seems like everything from before 1964, except for things already renewed, are already public domain. Basically everything from 1964 onward is copyrighted for 95 years.

Lots of stuff from as far back as the 20s isn't yet public domain.
---

Anagram posted...

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Reading up on the renewal laws it seems like everything from before 1964, except for things already renewed, are already public domain. Basically everything from 1964 onward is copyrighted for 95 years.

Lots of stuff from as far back as the 20s isn't yet public domain.

I know that.
---

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Reading up on the renewal laws it seems like everything from before 1964, except for things already renewed, are already public domain. Basically everything from 1964 onward is copyrighted for 95 years.

this is not entirely true

the current cut-off year is 1923, and that will change for the first time in decades on January 1st, when it becomes 1924

anything released after 1923 that's in the public domain is there either because it was released that way or its copyright wasn't renewed
---

th3l3fty posted...

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Reading up on the renewal laws it seems like everything from before 1964, except for things already renewed, are already public domain. Basically everything from 1964 onward is copyrighted for 95 years.

this is not entirely true

the current cut-off year is 1923, and that will change for the first time in decades on January 1st, when it becomes 1924

anything released after 1923 that's in the public domain is there either because it was released that way or its copyright wasn't renewed

From what I have read it seems like only 15% of things from before 1964 were renewed.
---

Disney will fight tooth and nail to extend their copyrights on properties they didn't even come up with

Seginustemple posted...

Disney will fight tooth and nail to extend their copyrights on properties they didn't even come up with

Yea, they are definitely the biggest turds when it comes to copyright law lobbying.
---

I never understood this copyright thing. I thought if someone made a work it would be his and after his death his family or stuff like that would be theirs for ever too.
Are you telling me that in 15 years Superman will be in public domain? Because I doubt it.
---

Copyright technically has a time limit. However, whenever Mickey Mouse is close to falling into the public domain, that time limit gets extended. So effectively everything newer than Mickey Mouse has copyright forever.
---

Safer_777 posted...

I never understood this copyright thing. I thought if someone made a work it would be his and after his death his family or stuff like that would be theirs for ever too.
Are you telling me that in 15 years Superman will be in public domain? Because I doubt it.

Not exactly, because he is likely trademarked on most things. It's the same for Mickey Mouse, the issue isn't him for Disney, it's all of the other characters that would soon become available in the public domain.
---

Safer_777 posted...

I never understood this copyright thing. I thought if someone made a work it would be his and after his death his family or stuff like that would be theirs for ever too.
Are you telling me that in 15 years Superman will be in public domain? Because I doubt it.

The thing with that is, companies can make a play for trademarking stuff that is copyrighted. For something's it will be successful, for others it won't be.
---

charmander6000 posted...

Safer_777 posted...

I never understood this copyright thing. I thought if someone made a work it would be his and after his death his family or stuff like that would be theirs for ever too.
Are you telling me that in 15 years Superman will be in public domain? Because I doubt it.

Not exactly, because he is likely trademarked on most things. It's the same for Mickey Mouse, the issue isn't him for Disney, it's all of the other characters that would soon become available in the public domain.

From my understanding they have also already trademarked Winnie the Pooh, so while the original books are/coming into public domain people cannot use the name Winnie the Pooh.
---

I vaguely remember reading about that a while ago. I thought they could only trademark Winnie the Pooh that was created by Disney (ie one with a red shirt and any personality traits given by Disney). Not too sure about the name.

Regardless, eventually even Disney is going to struggle to trademark every single character ever used in their media.
---

charmander6000 posted...

I vaguely remember reading about that a while ago. I thought they could only trademark Winnie the Pooh that was created by Disney (ie one with a red shirt and any personality traits given by Disney). Not too sure about the name.

Regardless, eventually even Disney is going to struggle to trademark every single character ever used in their media.

I might be incorrect on it, but my understanding of the situation is they trademarked the name.
---

If I remember right Sherlock Holmes is a character in a sort of in-between state, a little like Winnie. The character itself is public domain, but certain attributes and story elements from stories Doyle wrote after a certain year are still held by his estate for a little while longer
---

The copyright extension act that expires at the end of this year means that everything from 1923 that's not already public domain will become so, no questions asked. I don't believe there's any way for something to leave public domain once it has entered, short of technicalities like It's A Wonderful Life, and that was not a chronological expiration issue.
---

Please keep in mind, by the way, that copyright and trademark are two very different things

Disney is not going to lose the trademark to Mickey Mouse any time soon

However, they WOULD lose the copyright to Steamboat Willie, and will start losing their grip on the copyrights of other old things in the future

which is, of course, completely fine, it just means that it's a work so old that anyone can distribute it now and maybe find something that's not 100 years old to make money off of you creeps

I still don't get it but I guess the big companies will use some loopholes or something.
---