Showing posts with label copyright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copyright. Show all posts

Saturday, October 16, 2021

That Mouse Still Roars - 16 October 2021 - Plague Journal Day 583

Micah 6:8
Ephesians 4:28
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Walt and Roy (before eating)

On this date in 1923 The Walt Disney company was founded as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney. Shortly after creating Micky Mouse, Walt killed and ate Roy in order to keep all the rights for himself. That's not true - I just made it up.

Still, the Disney company (especially since Walt's passing) has continually lobbied to change US copyright laws to keep anything from ever passing into the public domain, thus turning on its head the entire purpose of those laws.

You may recall this post from nearly a year ago where I railed against the blatant hypocrisy of this once-family-friendly entertainment behemoth.


Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Disney Must Pay - 21 November 2020 - Plague Journal Day 254

Micah 6:8
Matthew 18:23-34
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

https://www.sfwa.org/2020/11/18/disney-must-pay/

As you may know, the Disney corporation is the main reason that our copyright laws keep getting revised. They lobby to extend the length of protection to avoid letting anything go into the public domain. Somehow, this zeal to protect the rights of copyright holders seems only to apply to themselves. They are currently in a dispute with an author whose books they're publishing, but are refusing to pay him his contractually owed royalties on the sales. Their bizarre, indefensible claim is that they bought the rights to his books when they bought Lucasfilm, but somehow they managed not to buy the responsibilities that go along with those rights. This despite a contract that specifies that it applies to all successors and assigns of the rights.
Their goal is to hold out long enough that he will die and the problem goes away, Since corporations tend not to die, their view is that means they win.

Rather, it seems to me, it means they are basically thieves, pirates, and scum. Hardly the image that company tries to project.
Good grief the Mouse sucks. #DisneyMustPay

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.