Disney Used the Public Domain to Become Huge but . . .

I've written about this before. Disney used works in the public domain to become a huge corporation. Here's just a few of their stories which were based on books from the public domain:

Peter Pan - 1904
Snow White - 1857
Sleeping Beauty - 1697
Frozen - 1845 (Ice Queen)

The list goes on and on.

So what? The public also benefited from this.

The problem is in 1998 Disney was one of the main factors behind the copyright laws being extended so their own works would not enter the public domain? Who knows how many more terrific stories the public has missed out on due to this corporate greed?

Read this article about Disney movies based on works from the public domain.

Disney took and reused content from the public domain and then set about making sure others couldn't do the same. Disney is not the family oriented company they have led you to believe.

Youtube Copyright Claims Not Always Valid

This gets confusing. I've uploaded public domain videos and got copyright claims. When I've followed the process to protest the claims, I haven't yet got a reply generally the claim was removed.

However, I got one on a Dragnet film I just uploaded. I know it's in the public domain but not sure if the well known "Dum da dumdum" music is copyright or not.

It would be nice if Youtube would let you know.

New Publications Ready to Enter Public Domain

This is a heads up. In January of 2020 new publications and material from the year 1924 will enter the public domain. I will be doing some research to try to find out what might be of interest to you.

This year Felix the Cat was among the new public domain additions.

There has been considerable interest recently in public domain materials so my plans are to begin adding more information. One of the public domain videos that has drawn a lot of interest on my YouTube channel is Dragnet.

A Few Things to Note About Using Public Domain Works

There were literally thousands of works that were published in the United States before 1964 which fell into the public domain. The copyright was not renewed and that means they are now public domain works.

It something was published before 1964, the owner had to file to renew the copyright before the 28th year of being published. If they failed to do so, they lost the copyright.

If you decide to use a published book written before 1964, you're going to need to do research to make certain it is legal for you to copy. If it was published before 1924, you can assume the works is in the public domain.

New Works Reach The Public Domain

In 2019, thousands of artworks and books and more from 1923 are entering the public domain. 

Finally!

This is good news for creators everywhere, even though this should have taken place 20 years ago. I have written elsewhere about Disney and others getting Congress to extend copyright laws from 75 years after published to 95 years.

Unfortunately there is no guarantee Disney will not make an effort to get these works further extended before some of their works reach public domain status.

Ironic, isn't it, considering Disney made their fortune using works from the public domain? 

Here's an interesting article on these new works becoming available and why Disney and others may no longer be able to extend public domain laws.  

 Could Mickey Mouse Reach the Public Domain?