Interesting… Too bad a right-holder can do minor edits to their work and effectively extend copyright (which is already very long in my opinion) if they nuke the previous version. Lucas was surprisingly successful in that, and I think game studios or other creators could do that today too with their aggressive DRM tactics.
Comment on When will "Star Wars: A New Hope" enter public domain?
Newby@startrek.website 10 months ago
Attorney here. The original version of A New Hope should enter the public domain in 2072. The Special Edition of A New Hope should enter the public domain in 2092. The despecialized edition uses work from the special edition and would not be legally distributable until at least 2092. But as to your question on resolution, I do not believe copyright law would differentiate between a work bases solely on the published resolution. As the other comment suggests, A high res scan of the original A New Hope, if it exists, would be in the public domain in 2072.
ChaoticNeutralCzech@lemmy.ml 10 months ago
Newby@startrek.website 10 months ago
I think this is why our rights for preservation of the media we own under the dmca is so important. Needs to be expanded on even.
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 10 months ago
This is assuming Disney doesn’t mess with the laws again, for like, the tenth time.
IvanOverdrive@lemm.ee 10 months ago
They already lost control of Steamboat Willie. The limits of copyright have been reached. Disney even tried to leverage trademark by putting Steamboat Willie as the Disney logo at the beginning of all their movies. There is a limit to their ability to bend the law in their favor before reason takes over.
Newby@startrek.website 10 months ago
Why I didn’t say will but should. But your emphasis is apt.
ChaoticNeutralCzech@lemmy.ml 10 months ago
First sentence of my post, for this very reason – they own the franchise, after all. The law may also change the other way but that’s very unlikely to happen in the US within 50 years.
I wonder if they could develop a system of draconian DRM (only their own theatres with metal detectors, personalized online streams…) and mildly edit movies every few decades so that they can destroy the original and effectively renew copyright. The gaming industry’s always-online DRM makes nuking a release possible but copyright lasts for about 20 console generations so they don’t even have to do that.
50gp@kbin.social 10 months ago
it would be quite hard to justify increasing it for even longer duration when all adults who saw the original release will be dead by the time copyright expires already
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Disney has already ruined US copyright laws multiple times, I wouldn’t put it past them to try again.
pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online 10 months ago
That’s why it was hilarious when DeSantis thought he could win a legal battle against them.