The article doesn't go into how Disney was able to preserve it for so long... and continue. So if I copyright something today, can someone explain how I can make sure it is still covered in 2108 ?
2. Use the proceeds to bribe politicians to pass legislation to extend the copyright period
3. GOTO 1
Or, if you published something today as a work for hire, it'd be covered until 2103. Which isn't quite 2108, but surely Disney and their congresscritters will get you that extra five years at some point before it goes into the public domain.
Everyone keep saying about bribes, but yet nothing is being done.
This is like everyone would know Johny from 2B raped and murdered Marry from 7C, but yet noone is going to do anything about it.
Take a politician down, and a new one takes its place.
If you protest, they put the police to attack protesters. If people get together to fund a campaign to change things, big corporations get 10000x more money on a bigger campaign.
What do you suggest people do?
The first time was with the Copyright Act of 1976. That was a major rewrite of US copyright law (probably the most extensive rewrite ever) whose main purpose was to bring US copyright law more in line with that of the rest of the world in preparation for the US joining the Berne Convention.
That included making copyright terms in the US match the terms from most of the rest of the world (life + 50 for works of individual authors, publication + 75 years for works for hire).
Despite the lazy "they bribed politicians" theories others have offered, I've not been able to find any information on whether Disney spent any money lobbying for this. They were almost certainly in favor of it, but it had such widespread support that I doubt they would have needed to.
The other extension of Disney copyright terms was in the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which they certainly did lobby for.