When the clock strikes Midnight on New Years Eve the 20 year "Stop Sign" on copyright expiration in the US (from 1998) is uprooted and the "traffic jam" extends as far back as 1923. I'm sure the original lobby for Disney as well as Amazon, Netfix etc are a tad unhappy to see it all end since they sell us 50 year old content, but far more important is the reason Copyright was always meant to be a two part syste.

It is rather obviously essential that a limited monopoly can exist for a time to stimulate creativity in the face of stiff R&D costs but it is equally essential that after a reasonable time new ideas and products become Public Domain since that stimulates growth and even more creativity as the old adage is quite true "We all stand on the shoulder of giants".

It could be a very Happy New Year indeed... even ultimately for Disney, Amazon, YouTube and Netflix et al.

Finally, for us all, here's a raised glass wishing us all a prosperous and happy new year. Salut!

Cheers!

Is it, though?

I think I've followed and even participated in my local "I hate copyright & IP" clique and yet I go looking for examples of how copyright material goes public domain and saves us from Cthulu I don't find anything with that sort of impact. It seems like most of the time when this comes up people are just outraged at not being able to copy Steamboat Willie, which I couldn't care less about; that cartoon isn't a stepping stone to anywhere that I can see. Perhaps there's more to it?

The best examples of my own are pretty small, mostly economics related: The Wealth of Nations and Das Kapital. I don't presume that those are evergreen, but they were certainly influential. I'm tempted to concede everything when I review Bacon's Novum Organum, because it was so important in re-wiring my brain in my late 20s ( I was so lost). I don't think I represent most people in this way.

FWIW, most of the content I consume from Netflix and Amazon are new movies that are unlikely to enter public domain in my time. If anything, they'll just add the PD movies to their catalogue, right?

Have a good one.

Well Myk267, I can postulate that you see Steamboat Willy with very different eyes than someone "in the field" including education. Since you have hinted at the larger subject which includes Patents, maybe consider the example of Aluminum. In 1886 it was hugely expensive to extract and produce aluminum and had not a limited monopoly been allowed under patent laws, it is doubtful aluminum would have ever become commonplace. However the second part is also part of that growth. Had it not been passed into public domain, after a huge legal battle I should add with ALCOA wanting to keep their monopoly as long as possible, it also would not have grown as quickly and diversely as it did. The world would be a very different place had that growth not occurred, even if only considering aviation and aerospace application.