Sen. Hawley proposes bill to strip Disney of copyright protections

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill on Tuesday to strip “woke corporations like Disney” of copyright protections that have allowed them to own materials and characters for decades. 

With the Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022, Hawley’s seeks to limit the copyright protection to 28 years, allowing owners to apply for a single 28-year extension. If passed, “Disney would begin to lose protections for some of its oldest and most valuable copyrights,” the Senator said. 

The rule would be applied retroactively, meaning that some of Disney’s materials would no longer be protected as soon as the bill is passed, including Mickey Mouse and Marvel superheroes. 

“Thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, woke corporations like Disney have earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists,” Hawley said in a statement. “It’s time to take away Disney’s special privileges and open up a new era of creativity and innovation.”

First released in 1928, Mickey Mouse was given a 56-year copyright for the iconic character. However, when it was going to expire in 1984, Disney lobbied to extend the copyright and was granted 75 years of ownership under the Copyright Act of 1976. 

In 1998, Disney was able to keep Mickey Mouse for longer when Congress passed a law extending copyright protection for corporations. The law, dubbed the Mickey Mouse Protection Act, gives companies ownership of their creations for 95 or 120 years. 

Currently, Disney owns Mickey Mouse until 2024. However, this only applies to the original character design of 1928, not the iterations of the character.

The bill is the latest attack on Disney. Last month, Governor Ron DeSantis removed Disney’s special self-governing status for its theme park in Orlando after the media company spoke out against the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Florida’s new legislation bars the discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation from Kindergarten through third grade.

Disney has not commented on the bill.