Congress has voted to extend copyright protection by 20 years to bring U.S. copyright law into compliance with European practice.
U.S. copyright law will now provide authors and other artists exclusive rights to exploit their own works for the life of the artist plus 70 years. Until 1995, European nations also protected works for the life of the artist plus 50 years. Congress has the right to provide copyright protection "for limited times" to promote "science and the useful arts," and there was considerable debate over the issue among corporate copyright owners and consumer advocates. Libraries, in particular, cited the public and cultural necessity for works to pass into the public domain for free use.
Copyright protection for classic works by Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and Carl Sandburg, as well as popular creations like Mickey Mouse and songs by Irving Berlin and Ira Gershwin, were slated to expire. However, the new law d s allow libraries to make use of materials that were about to go into the public domain without seeking permission, if they are not currently being exploited commercially.
