This gels with what I heard, though Disney's not the only one - can you imagine if characters like Batman or Superman were suddenly in the public domain? DC might actually have to start hiring decent writers!
But seriously, I really wish they would come up with some sort of 'exception rule' for these cases, rather than spoiling it for everyone else. There is absolutely no legitimate reason why *every* title published in, say, 1924 should fall under these restrictions.
Not to mention, it is my understanding that the name "Mickey Mouse" and the associated symbols (the round head with two ears, etc) *can* be trademarked, even if they are out of copyright. So the company will still have ways to protect itself from imitators.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-09-24 07:54 pm (UTC)But seriously, I really wish they would come up with some sort of 'exception rule' for these cases, rather than spoiling it for everyone else. There is absolutely no legitimate reason why *every* title published in, say, 1924 should fall under these restrictions.
Not to mention, it is my understanding that the name "Mickey Mouse" and the associated symbols (the round head with two ears, etc) *can* be trademarked, even if they are out of copyright. So the company will still have ways to protect itself from imitators.