I still don't understand why Disney has historically been so paranoid of Steamboat Willie entering the public domain anyway - Isn't Mickey protected well enough by trademark (which is perpetual so long as it's defended) that copyright on a 1928 cartoon is no longer instrumental in maintaining the proprietary protection of the character?

Just a reminder: the Constitution requires that copyrights be of a "limited times".

If we keep pushing the year back in perpetuity, we should be honest about the fact that we're violating the Constitution.

I wouldn't be surprised. I am kind of surprised that we haven't heard rumbling already but with all the moves Disney has made maybe they are afraid of drawing too much attention to themselves and will wait.

Mere sharing is quite different from the ability to produce derivative works. Crowley works entering the public domain should be a boon for his accessibility as fanfic anthologies become publishable.