In <7f.1578bc0f.284feaa5@aol.com>, Bob Croxford wrote:
> << In most of the world
> artistic copyright now extends to 70 years after the death of the author. The
> copyright can be sold or transferred to another person or a company, or
> passed to the authors descendants but it still only extends to the 70 years
> after the death of the original author or creator. Copyright on such things
> as the Coca-Cola trademark goes on for ever, or at least for as long as it is
> still in use.
>
> Brian Rumary, England >>
>
> Dear Brian
>
> My bets are that copyright will keep on being extended to equal a period ten
> to twenty years more than the time since Walt Disney's death.
>
Yes I heard about that on. Apparently the copyright on Mickey Mouse cartoons is
about to run out and Disney are pushing the line that it would be un-American
if
a "national icon" could be copied by nasty foreigners, etc.! They want a
special
exception to copyright laws, just for them, although I'm sure all the other
mega
corporations would soon be jumping on this band wagon! With Dubya in the White
House I'm sure they will soon get what they want and to hell with the rest of
us.
Of course the Disney trademarks and name would not be affected by the end of
copyright on MM.
Brian Rumary, England
http://freespace.virgin.net/brian.rumary/homepage.htm