13 The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act

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Problems arose for Eldred when he attempted to publish works by Robert Frost, which were slated to pass into the public domain in 1998. It was at this moment; Congress passed the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA). The Act permitted Congress to extend the copyright law by 20 years.The CTEA is commonly referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act as the cartoon, Steamboat Willie, was just about to enter public domain in 1998.

Previously, a work was considered under copyright protection for the life span of the artist plus 50 years. The new Act extended the protection by 20 years, which made it impossible for Eldred to share Frost’s work until another 20 years. The CTEA was named after the politician and musician, Sonny Bono, because of his activism in the belief a work should always remain under copyright and never enter public domain.

“Free Culture” Chapter 13:Eldred by Lawrence Lessig Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

U.S. Copyright Office. “What is Copyright” YouTube, Oct. 30, 2019.

Sonny Bono: User Raul654 on en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons