The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings enters the public domain in New Zealand, Egypt, and a couple other countries.<p>Would have entered into the public domain in Canada had the government not signed a last-minute 20 year copyright extension act last year.
There's apparently a poster of Mickcy wearing gloves in full color from the same year Steamboat Willie came out (1928).<p>Does this mean that full color gloved Mickcy is also in the public domain?<p><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mickey-mouse-poster_n_2149610" rel="nofollow">https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mickey-mouse-poster_n_2149610</a>
Corridor posted the original cartoon a couple hours ago: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hmzO--ox7X0" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hmzO--ox7X0</a>
Disney now uses that 'steamboat willie' intro clip at the start of most of their stuff.<p>Are they trying to use it as a trademark, and therefore use trademark law rather than copyright law to stop people using steamboat Willie publicly?
“US copyright law says the rights to characters can be held for 95 years.”<p>95 years ago was also about when the cinema and recording industries began.<p>Since then, I’ll argue, all recorded entertainment and theatrical performances have become “fixed” into our culture similar to how Plato, the Bible, and Shakespeare became cultural touchstones due to literacy and the printing press.<p>And now, as they enter the public domain, Mickey and others are becoming, for better or worse, an inescapable part of our common heritage.
Another way to frame this is - Disney has decided to not extend the copyright laws for all Americans and let this happen.<p>The damage of the multiple extensions the company has already forced on all of us are devastating.<p>Multiple times Disney has changed the law to extend copyright provisions and allow it and other corporations to take without giving back, siphoning value out of the public domain for decades upon decades.<p>We have paid a hefty price for their profits, over and over again.
Also Wikimedia Commons' Media of the Day: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page</a>
Related:<p><i>January 1, 2024 is Public Domain Day</i> - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38823973">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38823973</a> - Dec 2023 (15 comments)<p><i>Copyright for original Mickey Mouse persona to run out 1 January 2024</i> - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38799484">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38799484</a> - Dec 2023 (10 comments)<p><i>Mickey Mouse to Enter Public Domain: "It's Finally Happening'"</i> - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38737164">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38737164</a> - Dec 2023 (7 comments)<p><i>Mickey, Disney, and the public domain: A 95-year love triangle</i> - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38678021">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38678021</a> - Dec 2023 (208 comments)<p><i>Public Domain Day 2024 Is Coming: Here's What to Know</i> - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38586978">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38586978</a> - Dec 2023 (6 comments)<p><i>The Mickey Mouse Copyright Runs Out in 2024</i> - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36559037">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36559037</a> - July 2023 (64 comments)
The BBC has Disney as the owners of the snapshot they use. It's a nice thing to do. But is it still correct? Are Disney still the owner's but the image is now public domain?
OG Winnie the Pooh is public, but his iconic Red Vest version is still under copyright.<p><a href="https://www.romanolaw.com/winnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-is-this-whats-to-come-for-new-public-domain-characters" rel="nofollow">https://www.romanolaw.com/winnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-is...</a>
Related discussions from yesterday and earlier:<p><i>Mickey, Disney, and the public domain: A 95-year love triangle</i><p><i>Public Domain Day 2024 Is Coming: Here's What to Know</i><p>Etc<p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38826061">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38826061</a>
Before people cheer too much, surprisingly works can retroactively be snatched back from the public domain and go back into
copyrighted state.<p>The prime example is the movie <i>Metropolis</i>. It became public domain in 1953 but copyright was restored in 1996 only to re-enter the public domain a year ago today.