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So this covers basically just "Steamboat Willy", right? But isn't the likeness and name of Mickey Mouse a registered trademark? So just because the specific fil
by moron4hire 4y ago
So this covers basically just "Steamboat Willy", right? But isn't the likeness and name of Mickey Mouse a registered trademark? So just because the specific film "Steamboat Willy" could enter the public domain, that doesn't mean randos can start making their own Mickey Mouse cartoons.
- zeroonetwothree 4y agoA trademark just means you can’t use it to represent something else. You certainly can make Mickey Mouse cartoons as long as you represent the mouse faithfully.
- ipaddr 4y agoSure they can. Using it to represent a similiar business no.
- moron4hire 4y agoWhen I was a kid, there was a local used car dealership owned by a man named Tom Mouse. He used a Mickey Mouse image on the sign for his business. IIRC, he eventually got hit with a copyright violation for it, because this was 30 years ago. But next year, it might fly, because Disney doesn't sell cars. It's hard to imagine how one could make animations using the likeness and name of Mickey Mouse and not have it interpreted as "representing a similar business". Hence my comment.