Is it possible to develop something like the horror movie production of 'Winnie the Pooh', whose copyright of Mickey Mouse is approaching 2024?



Mickey Mouse, a character who has been active as a signboard of the Walt Disney Company since its birth on October 1, 1928, is approaching 2024 when its copyright expires after 95 years.

Mickey Mouse could soon leave Disney as 95-year copyright expiry nears | Walt Disney Company | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/03/mickey-mouse-disney-copyright-expiry



In 2024, Mickey Mouse will enter public domain --will this actually happen, and how will it affect Disney? --Quora
https://www.quora.com/In-2024-Mickey-Mouse-will-enter-public-domain-will-this-actually-happen-and-how-will-it-affect-Disney

Speaking of famous characters whose copyright has expired most recently, there is the case of 'Winnie the Pooh' in January 2022. Mint Mobile, known for its cheap SIM, quickly replaced Pooh's favorite honey with money and created a commercial promoting a SIM that can be used for free for three months.



There is also a horror film called ' Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey ' directed and written by Rhys Waterfield. This work is about Pooh and Piglet, abandoned by Christopher Robin, running into a bloody murder.

'Winnie the Pooh' Horror Movie'Blood and Honey' Explained by Director --Variety
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/winnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-director-1235278405/



But 'just because the copyright has expired doesn't mean that there are no restrictions,' said Daniel Meida, associate director of the Legal Clinic for Documentary Films at the University of California, Los Angeles Law School.

When an artist like Mr. Waterfield creates a work based on an old character, 'it is important not to cross the line', and in the case of a character that is recognized as part of Disney, the artist is partly in the hands. He points out that there are some parts that cannot be put out, for example, if you make them think that they have something to do with Disney, they may be legally affected.

Mr. Waterfield is also aware of this, so he thoroughly investigated what Disney's copyright is and where the line is drawn, and 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' is the copyright. He said he did everything he could to make sure it was based only on the 1926 edition of the out-of-date picture book. For this reason, Tigger, which appeared in 1929's 'House in Pooh Yokocho' and is copyrighted by Disney, has not yet appeared. 'No one should mistake this movie for Disney, and no one would think of it as a children's film when looking at trailers and scene photos,' Waterfield said.

The relationship between Disney and American copyright law is deep, and Sae Yamamoto Wilson, the head of the Copyright Department, was once a deputy adviser to the Walt Disney Company for nearly a decade. However, although the copyright law has been amended many times, which is rumored to be 'to protect Mickey,' Meida pointed out that it will no longer be done.

At the Q & A site Quora, SF writer Lawrence Wat Evans said, 'Steamboat Willie,' which is Mickey Mouse's first work, will expire on January 1, 2024. Although the appearance of the 'Mickey Mouse' version will be usable, the name 'Mickey Mouse' cannot be called by that name because it is registered as a trademark by Disney, and other works that still have copyright are used. Mentioned that it cannot be done. Already for Disney, Mickey Mouse is like a 'figurehead', and since it is no longer a big money bringer, he said that he intends to deal with it with a trademark rather than a copyright in the future. I did.

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in Note, Posted by logc_nt