With many priceless catalogues on the brink of falling into the public domain -- for example, animated features of Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh and the music of George Gershwin -- copyright owners such as Disney and Time-Warner petitioned for 20 more years of copyright protection. The result was enactment of the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act, which extends the time period during which copyrighted works are protected. Extending copyright protection harmonizes our laws with European countries where copyright owners already enjoy longer protection. In summary:
* For works created on or after January 1, 1978, the copyright term is life of the author plus 70 years (instead of life plus 50 years).
* For works for hire (and works published anonymously and pseudonomously), protection is extended from 75 to 95 years.
* For unpublished works and works in their renewal terms, protection is extended for an additional 20 years.
* No expired copyrights will enter the public domain until 2019.