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Something that I've never understood: Even if steamboat Willie were to enter the public domain, couldn't Disney effectively maintain control of its characters t
by goodcanadian 11y ago
Something that I've never understood: Even if steamboat Willie were to enter the public domain, couldn't Disney effectively maintain control of its characters through trademark law? The fact that Mickey mouse is a Disney trademark should prevent most new uses of the character even if it doesn't prevent the copying of old shows.
- joshstrange 11y agoThis is covered in the article: > Ultimately, none of this may matter: Even if Mickey’s copyright does expire in 2023, Disney has no less than 19 trademarks on the words “Mickey Mouse” (ranging from television shows and cartoon strips to theme parks and videogames) that could shield him from public use. It goes on to talk a little more about it as well.