When you Wish Upon a Frog (Book II of the Jim Henson at Disney saga)

[MightyXRay]

Again, no notifications! Weird :/

But of course I'm looking forward to this alternate... well, not quite future yet, but from the point we're at in the timeline...

 

[Missingnoleader]

Indeed, for all we know 9/11 could might well be averted if Gore's presidency somehow manages to wrangle the different intelligence agencies to communicate with each other. But it's these butterflies that make this timeline so interesting.

Probably the big thing that could change everything is if Disney does not lobby for a longer copyright law. Depends on how Jim felt about things lapsing into the public domain though...

 

[nick_crenshaw82]

Probably the big thing that could change everything is if Disney does not lobby for a longer copyright law.

Probably wouldn't matter, too many other companies supported the1998 Sonny Bono Extension Act.

 

[Shiny_Agumon]

Indeed, for all we know 9/11 could might well be averted if Gore's presidency somehow manages to wrangle the different intelligence agencies to communicate with each other. But it's these butterflies that make this timeline so interesting.

Probably the big thing that could change everything is if Disney does not lobby for a longer copyright law. Depends on how Jim felt about things lapsing into the public domain though...

Hold your horses there buckaroo, the nineties are still young and we have to see how they play out until we can tackle that. Maybe Gore isn't even president in 2001 anymore.

Idk if Jim could even persuade the board to allow some incarnations of Disney to fall into public domain.

And I kind of get it since characters like Mickey Mouse are basically used as expys for Disney as a company and allowing people to do this openly is bad for business

 

[Migrant_Coconut]

Unless Gore loses reelection, he literally can't be president in '01 - you only get two terms.

 

[GrahamB]

There's also the very significant probability it won't happen at all. The differences in international relations could mean that Bin La-dee-dah choses a different target, tactic, country... or doesn't attack at all. Gore has 4-8 years to change how the US deal with western Asia which might entirely change how Bin Ladarussiancar chooses to poke the American bear. I don't know enough about the proximate causes of why they planned the hijackings the way they did to come down one way or the other, but I would never consider it a 'fixed event' in a timeline, even one that has (ostensibly) nothing to do with international relations, aversion of Flight 123 crash being a notable butterfly already.

 

[Shiny_Agumon]

Unless Gore loses reelection, he literally can't be president in '01 - you only get two terms.

Unless he abolished the 23th amendment

 

[Workable Goblin]

Idk if Jim could even persuade the board to allow some incarnations of Disney to fall into public domain.

And I kind of get it since characters like Mickey Mouse are basically used as expys for Disney as a company and allowing people to do this openly is bad for business

What Disney does doesn't really matter that much anyway. There were (and almost certainly would be) numerous parties pushing for copyright extension and only mild opposition in Congress or even, for the most part, outside of it. This was, after all, before the Internet really took off, and especially before user-created works really took off and many people had interactions with the copyright system and started to detest it. In the 1990s, infringement would mostly have been about relatively large and obviously criminal or at least exploitative operations, hence it was easier to get support for an extension of terms. So the timing might be altered, but an extension to European terms is very likely to happen.

 

[Arizton]

Copyright aside, I'm pretty sure Disney have trademarked most or all of their characters. Trademarks, as I (admittedly limitedly) understand, can be renewed in a way copyrights theoretically can't, and they would have to be nuts to let their trademarks lapse. The endless extensions of copyright are just another line of defense.

 

[ajm8888]

Unless he abolished the 23th amendment

22nd is term limits on the presidency, 23rd gives Washington DC the right to get electoral college votes.

 

[ajm8888]

Again, no notifications! Weird :/

But of course I'm looking forward to this alternate... well, not quite future yet, but from the point we're at in the timeline...

Been noticing that too.

 

[jpj1421]

Unless Gore loses reelection, he literally can't be president in '01 - you only get two terms.

Technically, if he serves two terms Al Gore would be President for 19 and a half days in 2001.

 

[Shiny_Agumon]

What Disney does doesn't really matter that much anyway. There were (and almost certainly would be) numerous parties pushing for copyright extension and only mild opposition in Congress or even, for the most part, outside of it. This was, after all, before the Internet really took off, and especially before user-created works really took off and many people had interactions with the copyright system and started to detest it. In the 1990s, infringement would mostly have been about relatively large and obviously criminal or at least exploitative operations, hence it was easier to get support for an extension of terms. So the timing might be altered, but an extension to European terms is very likely to happen.

Interesting point.

I wonder if Jim would support to extend Fair Use rights then.

22nd is term limits on the presidency, 23rd gives Washington DC the right to get electoral college votes.

Sorry, these numbers always confuse me.

 

[Denliner]

I'm not expecting a ton of movies/shows to be the same, since it is the 90s and we're entering the "Fiction Zone" real fast, but I'm hoping that some of the Disney classics like Mulan and Treasure Planet go through relatively unscathed.

Speaking of theme parks, I can definitely say that Tomorrowland 2055 won't be the same as OTL. I guess that's obvious but you'll have to stay tuned to see how the Tomorrowland refurbs turn out. It's definitely a blast!

I wonder if Jim would support to extend Fair Use rights then.

He would support Fair Use rights, but I doubt Disney is gonna be as lenient with their properties just because of new management.

 

[ajm8888]

Interesting point.

I wonder if Jim would support to extend Fair Use rights then.


Sorry, these numbers always confuse me.

No problem, I get the amendments after the 14th, mixed up.

 

[CountDVB]

He would support Fair Use rights, but I doubt Disney is gonna be as lenient with their properties just because of new management.

Regarding Sonny Bono Act, it might be harder to pass if the people are more understanding on what it entails regarding copyright and the public domain.

 

[Denliner]

Regarding Sonny Bono Act, it might be harder to pass if the people are more understanding on what it entails regarding copyright and the public domain.

That's probably a good thing for the alt-Internet if more works are public domain.

 

[TheMolluskLingers]

That's probably a good thing for the alt-Internet if more works are public domain.

So if I'm reading you correctly, if the Sonny Bono Act doesn't pass, then Mickey Mouse is potentially public domain.

 

[Denliner]

So if I'm reading you correctly, if the Sonny Bono Act doesn't pass, then Mickey Mouse is potentially public domain.

That is likely, though I guess Disney could differentiate between the current incarnation of Mickey and the Steamboat Willie version in case Sonny Bono does not get passed.

 

[CountDVB]

That is likely, though I guess Disney could differentiate between the current incarnation of Mickey and the Steamboat Willie version in case Sonny Bono does not get passed.

Yeah, I mean, that's the case Disney is having to face now IRL. Heck, OG Winnie the Pooh is now public domain.