3 ms·
You're conflating trademark and copyright. They're two different things. The copyright on Steamboat Willie expiring means that the cartoon, Steamboat Willie, f
by EvanAnderson 11y ago
You're conflating trademark and copyright. They're two different things.
The copyright on Steamboat Willie expiring means that the cartoon, Steamboat Willie, falls into the public domain. That doesn't mean that anyone can make "copycat" Mickey Mouse toys, infringing on Disney's trademark.
- sireat 11y agoYou are correct, but then there is even less sense for Steamboat Willie to be still copyrighted (besides the obvious use in opening credits of recent Disney features, which the cynical me thinks is some attempt to extend the copyright protection not just a homage to the humble beginnings). If the MM toys still have trademark protection why shouldn't Steamboat Willie go to public domain?
- EvanAnderson 11y agoI would assume it's Disney's position that copyright terms should be indefinite. Such a policy allows them to indefinitely extract rents from the "assets" of "intellectual property" that their earlier works represent. I don't agree with the position, morally, but from a purely practical perspective it makes sense that they'd want to maintain the value of these assets ad infinitum.