Public domain has nothing to do with trademarks if it was, Disney could keep up de trademark indefinitely. PD, is copyright. All this means is that other people can use the character now without Disney’s approval.
I agree 100%. Mickey and Minnie have to and need to stay in Disney. After all, it did all start with a mouse. That goes for Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. Leave the characters alone! Please! Please? Please!!
I can’t wondering if Disney did not get into politics publicly, we all know they were behind the scenes, perhaps congress would have helped them out and kept Mickey out of public domain. But alas, it is not the way.
You have it if there was a very large push by Walt Disney fans to Congress to put out a bill to keep at least the 5 with Disney and maybe more. With such a outcry politicians of both parties might do this. SO everyone who reads this pass it on to others and let it snowball across the country & the world. IS EVERYONE FOR THIS AND WILL WORK TOWARD THIS !!!
I agree 💯! Also fans should boycott everything with their images that isn’t directly produced by Disney. The horror movie featuring Winnie the Pooh is in poor taste and disgusting . You just don’t do that with an icon like Pooh bear .
Walt Disney and his company created the Mickey mouse characters and should own them in perpetuity. I have a trademark that belongs to me and me alone since I created it it should be long to me forever. If one of the readers of this column invents something that product should be long to them forever.
Trademark isn’t copyright. Entirely different systems. Disney built their media franchise on public domain works.
Without public domain we wouldn’t have Disney’s versions of: Snow white, Cinderella, The little mermaid, Pinocchio, Peter pan, treasure island/planet, Frozen,… The list goes on..
It’s time they started giving some of their own characters to the public, isn’t it?
Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the rest of the Fab 5 are not drawings on a page or a film strip. They are children’s first friends, they are the embodiment of “If you can dream it, you can do it”.
To many, they are as real as a favorite teacher, a best friend, and a hero.
You don’t need copyright laws to protect a person or a place. Mickey and Minnie Mouse should be no different.
The only way I would agree with that statement is if Disney STOPPED doing what they’ve been doing for the last 6 years. Disney go back to the basics of just making people’s lives and dreams come true
This is the big question.
If a character is actively being used by a company it should still belong to the company.
This goes for any company.
I do not want to see Snoopy dry humping other dogs someday🤣
I can’t help wondering why politics is perfectly fine for some companies, but not others? Is it just the ones you disagree with, as a far right snowflake looking for a safe space?
All of Walt’s original characters should not be released to the public domain. Look what someone did to a great childhood character, Winnie-the-Pooh, using him in a horror movie. Mickey and the gang are sacred images to Disney image and should not be altered by anyone.
Ah yes, nothing says sacred like an overused character that children can’t even have pictures of in their daycare without being thrown a law suit. 100 more years please 🙏
I personally believe they shouldn’t be in the public domain. Iconic characters deserve better than to be put in some stupid horror movies like pooh was. Just shows you what is wrong with people today
Walt Disney provided many generations with dreams, hope and inspiration. The company bearing his name have an obligation to maintain his stable of characters in perpetuality and to build on that stable as new characters evolve for present Audiences.
Keep Disney Charcters Disney.
Disney built their media franchise on public domain works.
Without public domain we wouldn’t have Disney’s versions of: Snow white, Cinderella, The little mermaid, Pinocchio, Peter pan, treasure island/planet, Frozen,… The list goes on..
It’s time they started giving some of their own characters to the public, isn’t it?
People can’t even vet a mickey engraved on the tombstone of their deseased child, without Disney suing them. It’s time we can use these character freeley, they’re more then just property, they’re icons they belong to the people, not one company
You people posting are mostly morons do you know the diffrence between copywright and trademark yes the copywright is expiring and congress already extended it once they cant keep making exceptions for one entity so yes the copywright has expired however trademarks never expire and mickey is trademarked as well he only looses the copywright copyrights did not exist until 1978 55 years after the creation of mickey and if filed for copywright (mickey was) in 1978 it would expure in 2002 disney asked for it to be extended and got an extra 20 years plus protection while it was being determined if disy would be granted that exception if you go by the current copywright law for new works created today is the life of the creator plus 70 years (average life expentancy of a person in 1978) when copywright law came to be wich would only potect mickey until 2036 trademark never expires for the life of the company that creates the work as long as they renew the trademark every ten years which disney does so micky being an icon to disney qualifies as a trademark so anything that would portray mickey anything other than what disney wants and do damage to disney would be a violation of trademark law so mickey may be public domain for copywright but still protected under trademark and mickey is 100 years old and is the face of disney so if someone tries to do what happend with the negitive things in whinnie the poo disney can and will destroy the person/persons responsible in court this is why people who get caught making “fake” (not lisenced by or approved by disney) mickey ears and selling them (making profit from disney brand with out consent or lisnsce to do so) have recived cease and dissist orders even a daycare center in the orlando area that had the entire daycare disney theemed got a cease and desit disney stated that the dsycare was confusing people and that it appeared to be under the control of disney.
You sound as if you are understanding what is happening, but you lose points for your grammar! Copywright is not a correct word it is copyright! It is also Winnie the Pooh! Now if English is not your first language I can understand but still there are free translators.
Good Lord, and you refer to most of the posters as morons? I couldn’t even take you seriously, with the amazing amount of misspellings, and no punctuation as to where one sentence ended, and another began.
Aside from that fact, there is a much better form of explaining things to people, instead of raging and insulting people’s intelligence, acting like a small child throwing a tantrum.
Yes, we get the “copyrights” and “trademarks” are two different things, that’s not even what was being contested. The comments were more whether or not these characters should BE public domain, as per the question asked at the end of the story, by ITM.
Do a little favor to us all, next time, and don’t rant and cry like a 5 year old. Have some actual intelligent conversation and we might, MIGHT, take your words to heart.
“Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products,” the spokesperson said. “That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires.”
There is a reason Disney started showing that Steamboat Willie clip before every modern Disney movie. They are purposefully trying to create trademark rights in the steamboat Willie version of Mickey.
You folks are out of your gourds. Literally most of Disney’s most iconic films were based on public domain characters. Imagine if The Little Mermaid hadn’t have been made because the Hans Christian-Andersen’s publisher was holding on to copyright forever, the same way y’all want Mickey Mouse to be preserved. The company probably would have went belly up in the 90s. Cope and seethe.
This is just how it goes, people. Disney was fortunate enough to extend the copyright twice, to 95 years. Walt created Oswald the lucky rabbit for universal, which went into public domain. Disney recreated Oswald and holds the copyright on the newer iterations of him, but still for 95 years. Yes, it’s sad to see such an iconic character subject to whatever abuses the public will put him through, but you can pull up the original Steamboat Willy videos and see him in his original glory any time you like, free of charge!
I do not want see Disney characters depicted in a horror movie. I don’t have young children. But for those who do, wow. I think Disney company should retain the rights to all the characters. No matter how old the copyright is. So this type of stuff doesn’t happen again!
To the person who said the company would have fallen in the 90s if it wasn’t for public domaine. Didn’t you watch Saving Mr. Banks? Walt jumped through hoops to get permission to make Mary Poppins. Im sure papers were signed in all the previous movies. All you have to do is ask for permission. Fill out the paperwork and pay the fee.
Any of Disney’s Characters or anyone elses should not be used in an unfavorable situation. I can just imagine Mickey in Friday the 13th or Mickey moves into Elm Street or Mickey in Silence of the Lambs. Get my drift. It reminds me of the Coca Cola script when i see it and it’s not for a coke product. Some things need to be kept with its original owner.
IP law has become a sprawling behemoth, with corporate control always expanding, never retracting, and more and more lawyers getting paid. This is about 40 years overdue. The fact that these century old characters have become universally recognized cultural icons, isn’t a reason to extend the extend the corporate monopoly over them, it’s a reason to make them public domain for everyone.
Why should Disney be above the law. Giving entities that power can lead to other problems down the line. It’s like people in the government getting away with traffic violations, and other things, to put it mildly.
As for an earlier comment regarding the way words were spelled, shame on you! Not everyone is a great speller. It’s great that you are, but to put somebody down for the way they spell. Maybe they have dyslexia or some other issue that makes it hard to comprehend the writing. It’s nice to know there are so many perfect people in the world.
Nobody is getting rid of mickey… In fact in a little more of a week, micky will be of all of us, like a proper icon should, instead of just one company
Another nail in the coffin of what was once a great family centered company. Sad but well deserved. Go back to what made you great. Woke politics was not it.
Comments for Disney Confirms Giving up Mickey Mouse
Jacob Allen
Mickey and Minnie should not enter the public domain. I even hope Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and their friends stay out of the public domain.
Ricky
I completely agree. They are not “Trademarks” to me, they are American Icons and should be protected.
RDV
Public domain has nothing to do with trademarks if it was, Disney could keep up de trademark indefinitely. PD, is copyright. All this means is that other people can use the character now without Disney’s approval.
Dayna
I agree with you.
Leave the characters alone.
Christian Jordan
I agree 100%. Mickey and Minnie have to and need to stay in Disney. After all, it did all start with a mouse. That goes for Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. Leave the characters alone! Please! Please? Please!!
Emma
It actually didn’t Disney is lying it started with a rabbit: Ozwald the lucky rabbit.
RDV
winnie the pooh already is public domain. Disney didn’t invent him…
The red shirt design of the character is owned by Disney, the name and character itself isn’t.
P.C.Knott
I can’t wondering if Disney did not get into politics publicly, we all know they were behind the scenes, perhaps congress would have helped them out and kept Mickey out of public domain. But alas, it is not the way.
Gary
You have it if there was a very large push by Walt Disney fans to Congress to put out a bill to keep at least the 5 with Disney and maybe more. With such a outcry politicians of both parties might do this. SO everyone who reads this pass it on to others and let it snowball across the country & the world. IS EVERYONE FOR THIS AND WILL WORK TOWARD THIS !!!
Gary
I want to add if possible any character that Walt was involved in also be included !
Reba
I agree 💯! Also fans should boycott everything with their images that isn’t directly produced by Disney. The horror movie featuring Winnie the Pooh is in poor taste and disgusting . You just don’t do that with an icon like Pooh bear .
Mark
In all fairness, the winnie the pooh horror film is at least slightly more entertaining than most disney has given us in the past 10 years.
Dug
Walt Disney and his company created the Mickey mouse characters and should own them in perpetuity. I have a trademark that belongs to me and me alone since I created it it should be long to me forever. If one of the readers of this column invents something that product should be long to them forever.
RDV
Trademark isn’t copyright. Entirely different systems. Disney built their media franchise on public domain works.
Without public domain we wouldn’t have Disney’s versions of: Snow white, Cinderella, The little mermaid, Pinocchio, Peter pan, treasure island/planet, Frozen,… The list goes on..
It’s time they started giving some of their own characters to the public, isn’t it?
Margaret
Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the rest of the Fab 5 are not drawings on a page or a film strip. They are children’s first friends, they are the embodiment of “If you can dream it, you can do it”.
To many, they are as real as a favorite teacher, a best friend, and a hero.
You don’t need copyright laws to protect a person or a place. Mickey and Minnie Mouse should be no different.
Rick
The only way I would agree with that statement is if Disney STOPPED doing what they’ve been doing for the last 6 years. Disney go back to the basics of just making people’s lives and dreams come true
D
Why should a copyright ever expire? Unless there is no official company, or family members that own them, then they should keep their rights.
Reba
I agree it’s nothing short of theft.
Mike
This is the big question.
If a character is actively being used by a company it should still belong to the company.
This goes for any company.
I do not want to see Snoopy dry humping other dogs someday🤣
Denise
I can’t help wondering why politics is perfectly fine for some companies, but not others? Is it just the ones you disagree with, as a far right snowflake looking for a safe space?
S.A.W
All of Walt’s original characters should not be released to the public domain. Look what someone did to a great childhood character, Winnie-the-Pooh, using him in a horror movie. Mickey and the gang are sacred images to Disney image and should not be altered by anyone.
Ricky
Exactly. They should be protected.
Jason
Pooh is not an original Disney character. The Pooh characters were created by author A.A. Milne in 1926.
L.G
Ah yes, nothing says sacred like an overused character that children can’t even have pictures of in their daycare without being thrown a law suit. 100 more years please 🙏
Peggy
Mickey Mouse and all of the Disney characters should NOT enter the public domain!
David: The Duke of Everything
I personally believe they shouldn’t be in the public domain. Iconic characters deserve better than to be put in some stupid horror movies like pooh was. Just shows you what is wrong with people today
Denise
Yep. Thank the far right for blocking recent attempts to extend copyrights protections.
Donna Zillas
Fire whoever Agrees to this. Walt will haunt them
Sam
Agrees to what? Following US copyright law?
Gary
Sir, some laws are not the end in some cases common sense is better !!
Torian
Mickey Mouse fans won’t give up on him
Gary
If Disney knows whats good for them they better not. Here is an idea Disney get rid of the leadership pushing this !!
Richard
Walt Disney provided many generations with dreams, hope and inspiration. The company bearing his name have an obligation to maintain his stable of characters in perpetuality and to build on that stable as new characters evolve for present Audiences.
Keep Disney Charcters Disney.
RDV
Disney built their media franchise on public domain works.
Without public domain we wouldn’t have Disney’s versions of: Snow white, Cinderella, The little mermaid, Pinocchio, Peter pan, treasure island/planet, Frozen,… The list goes on..
It’s time they started giving some of their own characters to the public, isn’t it?
People can’t even vet a mickey engraved on the tombstone of their deseased child, without Disney suing them. It’s time we can use these character freeley, they’re more then just property, they’re icons they belong to the people, not one company
Denise
Pushing what? Complying with US law? I would prefer leadership follow the law, wouldn’t you?
Bill
You people posting are mostly morons do you know the diffrence between copywright and trademark yes the copywright is expiring and congress already extended it once they cant keep making exceptions for one entity so yes the copywright has expired however trademarks never expire and mickey is trademarked as well he only looses the copywright copyrights did not exist until 1978 55 years after the creation of mickey and if filed for copywright (mickey was) in 1978 it would expure in 2002 disney asked for it to be extended and got an extra 20 years plus protection while it was being determined if disy would be granted that exception if you go by the current copywright law for new works created today is the life of the creator plus 70 years (average life expentancy of a person in 1978) when copywright law came to be wich would only potect mickey until 2036 trademark never expires for the life of the company that creates the work as long as they renew the trademark every ten years which disney does so micky being an icon to disney qualifies as a trademark so anything that would portray mickey anything other than what disney wants and do damage to disney would be a violation of trademark law so mickey may be public domain for copywright but still protected under trademark and mickey is 100 years old and is the face of disney so if someone tries to do what happend with the negitive things in whinnie the poo disney can and will destroy the person/persons responsible in court this is why people who get caught making “fake” (not lisenced by or approved by disney) mickey ears and selling them (making profit from disney brand with out consent or lisnsce to do so) have recived cease and dissist orders even a daycare center in the orlando area that had the entire daycare disney theemed got a cease and desit disney stated that the dsycare was confusing people and that it appeared to be under the control of disney.
Jan K.
You sound as if you are understanding what is happening, but you lose points for your grammar! Copywright is not a correct word it is copyright! It is also Winnie the Pooh! Now if English is not your first language I can understand but still there are free translators.
JadeVR
Good Lord, and you refer to most of the posters as morons? I couldn’t even take you seriously, with the amazing amount of misspellings, and no punctuation as to where one sentence ended, and another began.
Aside from that fact, there is a much better form of explaining things to people, instead of raging and insulting people’s intelligence, acting like a small child throwing a tantrum.
Yes, we get the “copyrights” and “trademarks” are two different things, that’s not even what was being contested. The comments were more whether or not these characters should BE public domain, as per the question asked at the end of the story, by ITM.
Do a little favor to us all, next time, and don’t rant and cry like a 5 year old. Have some actual intelligent conversation and we might, MIGHT, take your words to heart.
GuestJulie Snyder
Mickey is 95. The Disney Company is 100.
Erik
“Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products,” the spokesperson said. “That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires.”
There is a reason Disney started showing that Steamboat Willie clip before every modern Disney movie. They are purposefully trying to create trademark rights in the steamboat Willie version of Mickey.
Tyr
They all should have expired years ago and never hand an extension corpocracy at it’s finest, get rid of the lobbyist
Sam
You folks are out of your gourds. Literally most of Disney’s most iconic films were based on public domain characters. Imagine if The Little Mermaid hadn’t have been made because the Hans Christian-Andersen’s publisher was holding on to copyright forever, the same way y’all want Mickey Mouse to be preserved. The company probably would have went belly up in the 90s. Cope and seethe.
Kevin
This is just how it goes, people. Disney was fortunate enough to extend the copyright twice, to 95 years. Walt created Oswald the lucky rabbit for universal, which went into public domain. Disney recreated Oswald and holds the copyright on the newer iterations of him, but still for 95 years. Yes, it’s sad to see such an iconic character subject to whatever abuses the public will put him through, but you can pull up the original Steamboat Willy videos and see him in his original glory any time you like, free of charge!
Connor
Don’t you dare take Mickey Mouse away HE IS PART OF YOU NOT ANOTHER COMPANY
Tammy Harris
I do not want see Disney characters depicted in a horror movie. I don’t have young children. But for those who do, wow. I think Disney company should retain the rights to all the characters. No matter how old the copyright is. So this type of stuff doesn’t happen again!
Deb R
To the person who said the company would have fallen in the 90s if it wasn’t for public domaine. Didn’t you watch Saving Mr. Banks? Walt jumped through hoops to get permission to make Mary Poppins. Im sure papers were signed in all the previous movies. All you have to do is ask for permission. Fill out the paperwork and pay the fee.
Don Letzkus
Any of Disney’s Characters or anyone elses should not be used in an unfavorable situation. I can just imagine Mickey in Friday the 13th or Mickey moves into Elm Street or Mickey in Silence of the Lambs. Get my drift. It reminds me of the Coca Cola script when i see it and it’s not for a coke product. Some things need to be kept with its original owner.
Ed Ross
IP law has become a sprawling behemoth, with corporate control always expanding, never retracting, and more and more lawyers getting paid. This is about 40 years overdue. The fact that these century old characters have become universally recognized cultural icons, isn’t a reason to extend the extend the corporate monopoly over them, it’s a reason to make them public domain for everyone.
Jo
Why should Disney be above the law. Giving entities that power can lead to other problems down the line. It’s like people in the government getting away with traffic violations, and other things, to put it mildly.
As for an earlier comment regarding the way words were spelled, shame on you! Not everyone is a great speller. It’s great that you are, but to put somebody down for the way they spell. Maybe they have dyslexia or some other issue that makes it hard to comprehend the writing. It’s nice to know there are so many perfect people in the world.
Margaret
Get rid of Mickey Mouse? He was the creation of Walt Disney!
Get rid of the mouse?
You no longer have the right to call it Disney!!!
RDV
Nobody is getting rid of mickey… In fact in a little more of a week, micky will be of all of us, like a proper icon should, instead of just one company
She
Another nail in the coffin of what was once a great family centered company. Sad but well deserved. Go back to what made you great. Woke politics was not it.
Nancy B
I think the RIGHTS should stay where they have been the whole time. I am discussed by what seems to be a done deal.
Comments are closed.