Sen. Josh Hawley to Submit Legislation to Strip Disney of Copyright Protections, Continuing War on ‘Woke’
May 10, 2022 Updated 10:01 A.M. ET
WASHINGTON (FLV) – Continuing Florida Republicans’ and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war on woke corporations like the Walt Disney Company, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, is proposing federal legislation to strip the company of special copyright protections granted by the federal government.
Fox News Digital reports that Hawley is submitting the “Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022” to limit the length of copyrights for corporations to 56 years. This would be retroactively applied to companies like Disney.
“The age of Republican handouts to Big Business is over. Thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, woke corporations like Disney have earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists. It’s time to take away Disney’s special privileges and open up a new era of creativity and innovation,” Hawley told Fox.
Hawley said that Congress is using an “old law” referred to as the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” to allow copyrights extend for up to 120 years.
The culture war from Republicans on companies like Disney was rapidly set off after the multinational corporation vowed to get Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act repealed or defeated in court.
DeSantis and Florida Republicans moved swiftly on revoking special privileges for Disney in Florida, dissolving their special district under the Reedy Creek Improvement Act by the middle of next year.
“It’s important for companies like Disney to know. I don’t know how it’s been in the past in Florida, but I can tell you, with this sheriff in town you do not run the state of Florida. We are running this state with the best interest of the people of this state in mind,” DeSantis said at a campaign stop in March.
After the legislation was signed to strip Disney of special privileges, opponents claimed that their district will remain until Disney pays off bond debts.
“The bonds will be paid by Disney. They will be paying taxes. Probably more taxes. They will follow the laws that every other person has to do and they will no longer have the ability to run their own government,” DeSantis responded.
The legislation dismantles the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which allows Disney to govern itself on things like building codes, zoning, and electricity. At the town hall, Laura Ingraham asked if dissolving the district could end up backfiring on Florida taxpayers.
“No. Disney will pay its debts. Disney for the first time will actually live under the same laws as everybody else in Florida and that’s what matters.”
“I am not comfortable having one company with their own government and special privileges when that company has pledged itself to attacking the parents in my state when that company has people very high up talking about injecting pansexualism into programming for young kids,” DeSantis said. “It’s wrong. Walt Disney would not want that.”
