Republican Senator Josh Hawley Introduces Bill That Seeks To Strip Woke Corporations Of Special Copyright Protections: “The Age Of Republican Handouts To Big Business Is Over”

Josh Berger |

May 12, 2022

U.S Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo) recently introduced the Copyright Clause Restoration Act, which seeks to strip woke corporations of special copyright protections in an effort to put an end to “unnecessarily long copyright monopolies.”

In a press release the U.S. senator declared, “the age of Republican handouts to Big Business is over. Thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, woke corporations like Disney have earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists.”

“It’s time to take away Disney’s special privileges and open up a new era of creativity and innovation,” Hawley’s statement concluded.

Hawley’s website provides further details about the recently introduced bill, stating that “Under Congress’s current sweetheart deal, companies like Disney have been granted certain copyright protections for up to 120 years—well beyond the original maximum of 28 years.”

“Senator Hawley’s bill would crack down on copyright monopolies to ensure they only last long enough to encourage innovation,” it added.

The document in question specifically dictates that copyrights held by woke corporations would be limited to 56 years, whilst also making retroactive changes for these, stating that “copyright in any work shall endure for 28 years from the date it was originally secured.”

According to the bill, corporations can apply for an additional 28 years were the copyright holder to apply for a renewal and extension of the original term under the condition that the application is to be submitted “during the 1-year period before the expiration of the original term of the copyright.”

In making the above change retroactive, Hawley’s bill aims to see big entertainment companies like Disney, “begin to lose protections for some of its oldest and most valuable copyrights.”

Further, the bill attempts to “delay implementation for certain license holders, to reasonably protect pre-existing contracts.”

Were the Senate to pass Hawley’s Copyright Clause Restoration Act, The House of Mouse could potentially lose licensing of intellectual property that includes characters like Mickey Mouse as soon as 2024, considering that the company’s mascot was first introduced in Steamboat Willie, the first animated film distributed by Disney back in 1928.

Hawley had been hinting at this bill fairly recently on social media. Just last week, the U.S. senator took to his personal Twitter account to bring attention to the special copyright protections Disney has gotten from the federal government.

“For years, Disney has gotten special copyright protections from the federal government – allowing them to charge consumers more. Woke corporations shouldn’t get sweetheart deals. I’ll introduce legislation this week to end their special protections – enough is enough,” he wrote.

Hawley doubled down on Tuesday, writing, “There’s no reason Disney or any other woke corporation should keep getting special favors from government. End the handouts now,” as he introduced the bill seeking to strip woke corporations of said copyright privileges.

Conversely, Variety reports that Paul Goldstein, intellectual property expert at Stanford Law School, has taken issue with Senator Hawley’s recently introduced bill, claiming that the Copyright Clause Restoration Act is unconstitutional.

“That is a blatantly unconstitutional taking of property without compensation,” reportedly said Goldstein regarding Hawley’s initiative against woke corporations like Disney.

Variety reports that intellectual property expert at the Santa Clara University School, Prof. Tyler Ochoa, has also agreed with Goldstein’s assertion that the act is unconstitutional.

“The Supreme Court has held that Congress can extend the term,” said Ochoa. “But if you try to take the term away, that is almost certainly a taking of property,” he continued, adding that he believes the bill “has zero chance,” and accusing Hawley of “showboating.”

Further, the outlet also reports that CEO of Copyright Alliance Keith Kupferschmid believes the Copyright Clause Restoration Act will affect a significantly large number of Americans who work within the intellectual property industry.

“Copyright contributes $1.5 trillion to the U.S. economy and employs 5.7 million Americans,” said Kupferschmid, specifying that Hawley’s recently introduced bill “would harm those millions of everyday Americans in all 50 states who rely on copyright for their livelihoods in creative industries largely dominated by independent and small businesses.”

Journalist Christopher F. Rufo, who exposed Disney’s twisted agenda, recently kickstarted a campaign called ‘Drop Disney’ that seeks to encourage conservative Disney+ subscribers to cancel their subscription to the company’s increasingly woke streaming service.

“We’re launching a paid digital ad campaign targeting conservative Disney+ subscribers, with the goal of persuading them to cancel the service,” Rufo wrote last week.

He added, “It’s a high-leverage strategy: even small slowdown in the rate of subscriber growth can have a major impact on the stock price.”

“The company is already in turmoil: the stock price has plummeted since the scandal, rumors are flying that the CEO is in jeopardy, and executives across the country are scared to become ‘the next Walt Disney Co,’” he further declared, adding, “We’re going to press the advantage.”

Rufo then concluded, “Conservatives need to develop a strategy for containing woke corporations. We have to apply countervailing pressure and make executives understand that there’s a price for pushing critical race theory and gender ideology onto employees and customers.”

As pointed out by Rufo, Disney has been pushing for critical race theory and gender ideology this past year.

“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” decried the insufferably woke company in March of this year, after the bill was signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Since the beginning of the year, Disney’s stock price has been plummeting like a sack of stones. Reports have indicated that the company began the year at $156.76 and has dropped to $103.91 as of writing.

Part of this drop in stock price is speculated to be the result of the company’s “not-so-secret gay agenda,” as well as its unwavering support for the grooming of children by opposing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education bill (HB 1557), which has been falsely labelled ‘Don’t Say Gay’ by left-wingers who shamelessly advocate for the grooming of small, non-consenting children.

What do you make of Senator Hawley’s recently introduced bill to strip woke corporations of special copyright protections? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below or on social media.

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