Looks like Sonny's not so Sunny...

Last class period, I learned about the Sonny Bono Act of 1998 where the terms of copyright were extended another 20 years. The fact that this not only effects Disney, but all copyrighted works is an upsetting reality. As Diane Graves expressed to us, this nearly eliminates the public domain. Before hearing this lecture, i would not have given this second thought but now i understand the consequences. Though i understand that authors, artists, and other creators need to be secure in their creations and knowing that they will not be copied or used without their knowledge or in an undesirable way, these things are meant to be shared. The fact that the library has to pay so much money to allow students access to some journals and books is absolutely ridiculous, bordering on pure greed. It's understandable for a company like Disney to want to keep the copyright on their characters, because that's how they make their money. It does not make sense, however, for those who have passed on and whose children may even have passed on to still have copyrighted works. This just means that another person who may not have had any input in the creation of the work reaps the benefits while the public who wishes just to utilize the resources.