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'Over the Garden Wall' is being removed from streaming on Max, and fans aren't happy
(www.dailydot.com)
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According to the article it is still on Hulu, so there's that. Is there some legal mechanism where abandoned works of art become public domain?
Of course! According to copyright law, a work enters the public domain after 28 years, or potentially after 28 more if the author was still alive and reapplied. Well, at least that was the case back in the 1970s before Disney lobbied heavily over several decades, so they could keep copyright of Steamboat Willie long after Disney died. Because of Disney, the most recent law upholds copyright for 70 years after the death of the author. Or for works of corporate authorship, like with Disney, the act allowed 95 years from the work's original publication or 120 years from the creation, whichever expires first.
So basically because of Disney, no one will ever get to take advantage of a work released during their life moving to the public domain, because we'll all be dead before then.