Brian Gongol
Today is the 9th anniversary of one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in modern times
On this date in 2002, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Eldred v. Ashcroft, which contested the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act, which creates a right of copyright that extends 70 years past the death of the author of a creative work. There is little to distinguish that length of copyright protection from perpetual protection, which prevents useful works from entering the public domain, where they can be used freely and built upon. The Congress that approved the extension, the President who signed it, and the Supreme Court that upheld the decision should all be ashamed of themselves. They've protected Disney's rights to old Mickey Mouse films at the expense of science, discovery, and progress.
