commit: 533d942d14e5476c7518177454c4597eb46b499f
parent 084c7055273f1b883adc3ec6a3cb6036ee62d63b
Author: Drew DeVault <sir@cmpwn.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 09:36:39 -0400
Alice in Wonderland
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diff --git a/content/blog/Alice-in-Wonderland.md b/content/blog/Alice-in-Wonderland.md
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+---
+title: Alice in Wonderland and the theft of the public domain
+layout: post
+date: 2020-08-24
+noindex: true
+---
+
+Disney's *Alice in Wonderland* is one of my favorite movies and an undisputed
+classic. After its release in 1951, *Alice* holds a fond place in billions of
+children's hearts, over almost four generations. And it has been stolen from
+those generations, as part of the theft of one of these generations' greatest
+treasures: the public domain.
+
+
+
+I often use this film as an example when arguing about copyright. Almost
+everyone I speak to was born well after the film's release (in fact, this is
+true of almost everyone *alive today*), but they remember it fondly regardless.
+Many people I've spoken to would agree that it even played a formative role in
+their childhoods; it's a film dear to many hearts. My mom is very fond of the
+Cheshire Cat in particular, and owns quite a bit of relevant merchandise.[^1]
+
+[^1]: She is not sure how much of that merchandise is officially licensed.
+
+Like many films from their "Golden Age", Disney's *Alice* is itself a derivative
+work, based on Lewis Carol's 1865 book. However, Disney's film won't enter the
+public domain until 2046, and until then, no one can create derivative works of
+their own without receiving permission from and paying a tithe to Disney. And if
+modern-day copyright law, [bought and paid for by Disney][mickey mouse act], had
+been in force at the time Alice in Wonderland was made, they would have released
+their film 17 years *before* Carol's novel entered the public domain.
+
+[mickey mouse act]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act
+
+Carol, who died in 1898, was 53 years dead when the film was released. Everyone
+who is listed in the credits for Disney's Alice in Wonderland is also dead, with
+the exception of Kathryn Beaumont, who played the role of none other than Alice
+herself.[^2] [^3] She was 12 years old at the time. And still today, the
+copyright remains in force, though no creators remain to enjoy its privileges.
+It shall remain so for another 26 years, when I can finally celebrate my
+Alice-in-Wonderland-themed 53rd birthday party, having been robbed of the
+privilege at age 11.[^4]
+
+[^2]: The last person credited for Alice in Wonderland to have died was [Don Lusk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lusk), who died in 2018 at the age of 105. He lived through World War I, fought in World War II, then went on to animate 17 films for Disney.
+[^3]: Another honorable mention goes to [Ben Sharpsteen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Sharpsteen), the production director on *Alice*, who enjoyed the status of oldest staff member on the production, having been born in 1895. He was alive in Lewis Carol's lifetime!
+[^4]: Okay, I'll fess up: I never had any plans of an Alice-themed birthday party when I was 11, or at any other age. But you can bet I'm planning one for my 53rd now!
+
+Copyright was established in the United States to incentivize artists,
+musicians, authors, writers, and other creatives to create novel art, allowing
+them to enjoy the exclusive rights to it for a short period[^5], then ultimately
+*enriching* the public domain. The obscene copyright terms we're faced with
+today have robbed the American public of its national heritage. Any work made
+today will not enter the public domain during the lifetimes of any of its
+contemporaries, let alone soon enough for those contemporaries to *do* anything
+with it.
+
+[^5]: 14 years, or 28 years if renewed
+
+A system designed to incentivize creation has become a system which incentivises
+the opposite: rent seeking. A rent which is sought from the American public, in
+exchange for which we're no longer getting our end of the deal.
+
+Well, the deal is off.
+
+<link rel="stylesheet" href="/video-js.css">
+<script>
+window.HELP_IMPROVE_VIDEOJS = false;
+</script>
+<script src="/video.js"></script>
+
+<video class="video-js vjs-16-9" data-setup="{}" controls>
+ <source src="https://drewdevault.com/alice.webm" type="video/webm">
+ <p>Your browser does not support HTML5 video, or webm. Either way you're not
+ going to watch this video.</p>
+</video>
