Musk signals he’s pro ‘Free Mickey’

Elon Musk appeared to voice his support for a Republican senator’s efforts to strip Walt Disney of its copyright to its iconic Mickey Mouse mascot. Musk took to Twitter Thursday to respond to a news story about legislation proposed by US Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that would limit Disney’s copyright protection over Mickey Mouse to the 56 years originally granted the company.

“Current copyright law in general goes absurdly far beyond protecting the original creator,” Musk tweeted.

Musk then commented that an “overzealous” DMCA — the Digital Millennium Copyright Act — “is a plague on humanity.” It wasn’t clear why Musk chose to weigh in on the dispute.

The DMCA is a law passed by the US government in 1998. It offers creators of original content on the Internet considerable protection from having their work distributed without consent.

Critics say the DMCA stifles the free flow of information on the Internet by allowing intellectual property owners to order the removal of content even when there are no copyright violations.

Hawley’s proposed legislation, the Copyright Clause Restoration Act, would immediately strip Disney’s copyright of Mickey Mouse, who was first introduced in the 1928 animated film “Steamboat Willie.” When the copyright was about to expire in 1984, Disney lobbied for the Copyright Act of 1976, which extended protections for 75 years.