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"

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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.”


Source: Christopher F. Rufo, Twitter

“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.”


Source: Christopher F. Rufo, Twitter

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.”


Source: Christopher F. Rufo, Twitter

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.


Source: Walt Disney Company, Twitter

RELATED: Woke Actor Ron Perlman Encourages Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
To Read The First Amendment Over Falsely Labelled “Don’t Say Gay” Bill,
Calls Him A “F—king Nazi Pig”

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.


Source: New York Stock Exchange

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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