The Times reports how the possible expiration of Marvel's copyright claims on many of the biggest superhero characters like X-Men and the Fantastic Four complicates Disney's acquisition of the company.
The rise of the Internet has made copyright law more politically controversial than ever in recent years.
If you're a comic-book fan and want to learn more about the very confusing topic of copyright law, you should check out this comic produced by the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law.
It reveals just how much the expiration terms in copyright law favor holders versus creative people that might want to use say, the X-Men in a project of their own. It's very difficult to calculate just how much money Disney would lose if it were not able to gain copyright control over these characters.
The comic makes a case for the preservation of the fair use doctrine, which is a potential subject on Capitol Hill as some major voices have called for limits on fair use, to the detriment of Internet media.
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