Disney rules the world...

Tuesday in class, we had an informative lecture about copyright laws, and while many interesting points were made, what stuck with me the most was a story about the Disney Corporation. Up until about 20 years ago, copyright law protected intellectual property, like Walt Disney's iconic characters, for the life of the author plus 50 years. When this deadline started approaching, the Disney Corporation lobbied to extend copyright protection so they could continue to enjoy the profit they made off of Walt Disney's characters. As a result, the protection was extended to 70 years after the author's death - a deadline that once again is approaching. So the question is, what is Disney going to do this time? Are they going to fight to save their revenue source, or are they going to suck it up and admit that they've leached off Walt Disney's genius for long enough?

 Now please don't misunderstand - I love Disney movies. This just happens to be one example of a much larger problem I have with society in general. People who have money have power, and often times use that power for their personal gain. I know it's just human nature to protect what one has, and I also know that there are exceptions. However, I have to say it irritates me a little when wealthy and influential people or companies use their power to pull strings in government and get laws passed in their favor. I know it's idealistic, but I do sometimes wish that people could see outside of their own personal bubble, and say "Hey you know what? I probably don't need that third yacht... I think I have enough stuff thanks." Now, the Disney Corporation owns the rights to characters beyond those they stand to lose if Walt Disney's copyright runs out. While obviously there would be some drop in revenue, I sincerely doubt it would be overly significant. In fact, at the rate they keep producing movies, there is certainly going to be a steady stream of income for quite a while yet. And a little bit of incentive to produce GOOD movies, and not crap, certainly couldn't hurt. Which is why I hope that copyright laws are not once again changed to accommodate the interests of one, admittedly powerful, corporation that is afraid to succeed or fail on their own merit.