I don't think anybody ever thought they'd live to see the day when Mickey Mouse entered the public domain. I'm still not sure I'll believe it until the clock strikes midnight and Congress actually lets it happen.
Tomorrow is easily the most important and consequential Public Domain Day in recent memory. Even if it isn't the most recognizable version of Mickey Mouse, this is still an enormous symbolic victory.
$5 that Disney has started using steamboat Willie as part of Disney Animations shows as a logo purely because they will seek to file a trademark lawsuit against the first person they find trying to use what they think is "public domain" Mickey.
Trademarks are designed to be forever, as long as they remain well known enough,
but that doesn't prevent someone from using the concept instead of the actual image itself.
i.e. You could write a book with the character mentioned in it just like you can write a book with Coke mentioned in it.
The opening of the animation has the phrase “A Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoon” on screen. IANAL but I saw on the news that this means the character’s name and old-style likeness are fair game for new content by anybody.
I don't know what's going on, but your posts to HN have been increasingly offtopic lately, and against the site guidelines. I'm guessing that it's best if we ban your account for now.
You've been a good HN user for many years and we definitely want you part of the community, but only if you're able to participate meaningfully and within the site guidelines (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html).
If and when that happens, please email hn@ycombinator.com and we'll take a look and hopefully unban you.
This here is why I don't seek out gonzo-style writing. I absolutely cannot tell if you're satirizing your position or if you're doubling down on being completely, factually, verifiably incorrect.
Interesting that "Yes! We Have No Bananas" will be public domain just in time to be relevant again. I don't know the current status of the fungus attacking Cavendish bananas, but it's been discussed here on HN at least once.
Looking forward to a brief rush of editorial cartoon-level works doing absolutely nothing not already covered by parody or fair use. Maybe a bad horror or porn movie.
Then nothing, just like happened with Winnie the Pooh.
I am anti-IP, yet I am also anti-AI and think we should leverage copyright law to drive LLM companies into ground. These are not contradictory positions, unless you subscribe to some actual Platonian idealism.
Tomorrow is easily the most important and consequential Public Domain Day in recent memory. Even if it isn't the most recognizable version of Mickey Mouse, this is still an enormous symbolic victory.