In the United States, Walt Disney and the Republicans are at odds. Following the dispute between the party and the entertainment multinational over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s banning LGBTQ propaganda in elementary schools bill — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by Democrats and Liberals — a group of Republican lawmakers are now finding out how The Los Angeles Times reports he has vowed to resist any attempt to expand copyright protection of the fundamental Disney icon. baby mouse, which expires in 2024 and will release the original version of Mickey Mouse, which first appeared in the famous 1928 animated short, Steamboat Willie. Then Mickey Mouse is “free” and can easily be played by fans and artists from all over the world. Copyright protection has been renewed twice since the original expiration date, which dates back to 1984.
Republican revenge on Mickey Mouse
The Republican Party initiative sounds like revenge after Disney, pressured by LGBTQ associations and the DEM, officially challenged DeSantis’ law and promised to fight to have it repealed, saying the giant’s goal is to ensure that the Republican governor’s law “overturned” is suppressed by the courts. Hence the revenge of the gop. Tuesday, the senator Josh Hawley announced plans to introduce legislation to Disney later this year to remove copyright protection for Mickey Mouse from Disney.
Merchandising licenses and retail sales generated $5.2 billion for the company over the past year, according to the Los Angeles Times, but the company doesn’t say how much of that came solely from sales of Mickey Mouse products. Wall Street analysts covering Disney say there isn’t enough public information available to make an accurate estimate. However, the entertainment giant was preparing for copyright expiration even before the Republican Party declared war on Disney and its icon, according to experts.
The clash between the Gop and the multinational also affects theme parks
In recent weeks, the Republican Party has taken another important action against Walt Disney: the Florida legislature has actually voted to strip Walt Disney of his special self-governing status at his famous amusement park amid a political standoff between the company and the governor. The status gave Disney the power to collect taxes, build roads, and control public services on its theme park’s land. As the BBC recalls, the special borough known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District was created following a 1967 agreement between state and society. This special status has enabled the multinational to act as a true local authority with its own board of directors.
Conservatives say the entertainment giant, at the urging of progressives, has embraced “awakened” and politically correct ideology and poses a political and cultural menace. The diatribe about the law that DeSantis wanted was the classic straw that broke the camel’s back.