38 ms·
> could claim you're violating their copyright on their bumper That's not how it works, the use of Steamboat Willy in the bumper and public domain use just sha
by dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
> could claim you're violating their copyright on their bumper
That's not how it works, the use of Steamboat Willy in the bumper and public domain use just share the same source material, and Disney can't claim copyright on that source material since they no longer own it. Someone would have to copy the actual bumper to make it copyright infringement.
- tga_d 3y agoThey presumably meant trademark, not copyright. I.e., if you use Steamboat Willie in anything that Disney could plausibly make with Steamboat Willie, they could argue that the character isn't being used as a character, but to imply endorsement by Disney, violating the trademark.
- BizarroLand 3y agoI'd take that bet. I know 3 different law firms with deep pockets that know that when Disney loses the case they will have to pay all of the lawyer fees. After all, that portion of Mickey Mouse will also be entering public domain, so Disney won't own Mickey exclusively anymore either. Same as the non-red shirt version of Winnie the Pooh.