4 ms·

This is completely wrong. The trademark will never expire, but copyright absolutely does.

Aloha 9y ago
yes, the copyright for an individual work will - but not on the character itself. because the character has slowly evolved over time. The expiration of copyright on steamboat Willie, will not allow for anything but royalty free copying of that work.
- dannypgh 9y ago
  IANAL but https://fairuse.stanford.edu/case/klinger-v-conan-doyle-estate-ltd/ https://fairuse.stanford.edu/case/klinger-v-conan-doyle-esta... leads me to believe that derivatives of Mickey Mouse that only draw from the public domain work should be fair use. So, no mentioning Minnie, and no stenciling off of a recent design.
  - Aloha 9y ago
    Exactly the point I was trying to make. Thanks!
- pwinnski 9y ago
  There is no copyright on the character itself. There's a copyright on each piece of media the character has been in, like Steamboat Willie, but there is no copyright on Mickey Mouse. The character is trademarked, but not copyrighted. The words "copyright" and "trademark" are different, and mean different things. You might know this and be fuzzing them for the sake of simplification, but if so, you've over-simplified. They are different, and treating them as the same is wrong and leads to confusion. The copyright on Steamboat Willie will expire, allowing royalty-free use and copying of that movie, including Mickey Mouse. At that point, that version of Mickey Mouse will be free to us--BUT the ongoing trademark on the character will mean people should still stay away.
  - Aloha 9y ago
    I was fuzzing yes - and I was making the point that elements of the character not established in the works coming into public domain, would remain under copyright, and that trademark would also lock the character up - but I did fuzz the point excessively.
- chrismcb 9y ago
  Or a creation of a work based on steamboat Willie. Anyone could then write a steamboat Willie 2. You just can't use anything added to the character in later works.
mikestew 9y ago
It's not even kinda wrong. The copyright for the 1923 Steam Boat Willie cartoon will expire in 2023, the trademark on Mickey Mouse will not expire, and the copyright of newly-created Mickey Mouse cartoons will eventually expire $WHENEVER.

yes, the copyright for an individual work will - but not on the character itself. because the character has slowly evolved over time. The expiration of copyright on steamboat Willie, will not allow for anything but royalty free copying of that work.

dannypgh 9y ago
IANAL but https://fairuse.stanford.edu/case/klinger-v-conan-doyle-estate-ltd/ https://fairuse.stanford.edu/case/klinger-v-conan-doyle-esta... leads me to believe that derivatives of Mickey Mouse that only draw from the public domain work should be fair use. So, no mentioning Minnie, and no stenciling off of a recent design.
- Aloha 9y ago
  Exactly the point I was trying to make. Thanks!
pwinnski 9y ago
There is no copyright on the character itself. There's a copyright on each piece of media the character has been in, like Steamboat Willie, but there is no copyright on Mickey Mouse. The character is trademarked, but not copyrighted. The words "copyright" and "trademark" are different, and mean different things. You might know this and be fuzzing them for the sake of simplification, but if so, you've over-simplified. They are different, and treating them as the same is wrong and leads to confusion. The copyright on Steamboat Willie will expire, allowing royalty-free use and copying of that movie, including Mickey Mouse. At that point, that version of Mickey Mouse will be free to us--BUT the ongoing trademark on the character will mean people should still stay away.
- Aloha 9y ago
  I was fuzzing yes - and I was making the point that elements of the character not established in the works coming into public domain, would remain under copyright, and that trademark would also lock the character up - but I did fuzz the point excessively.
chrismcb 9y ago
Or a creation of a work based on steamboat Willie. Anyone could then write a steamboat Willie 2. You just can't use anything added to the character in later works.

mikestew 9y ago

It's not even kinda wrong. The copyright for the 1923 Steam Boat Willie cartoon will expire in 2023, the trademark on Mickey Mouse will not expire, and the copyright of newly-created Mickey Mouse cartoons will eventually expire $WHENEVER.