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Mickey Mouse’s Copyright Law
How old is Mickey Mouse? Well, he’s about 82 years if he’s a day. So why is he still under copyright while other early cartoon stars are not? Well, for one, plenty of companies from that era went out...
View ArticleThe Legal Pitfalls That Animators Must Navigate
I would love to go into much more detail on the topic but unfortunately, I don’t have that long a lunch break to knock one out. So instead, here’s a quick run-down of what animators should be aware of...
View ArticleThere’s a Good Chance You Weren’t Aware of This Documentary on Animation.
There’s no picture for the simple reason that I couldn’t find any! So instead, here’s the theme tune, courtesy of the composer, Mark Pringle....
View ArticleGet Re-Educated on Copyright With The Happy Tree Friends!
So if I embed the video, is that copyright infringement? I’m going to say no, although it is an area where the law is not exactly clear and why the video above has a some pretty serious limitations....
View ArticleHow Mickey Mouse Beat The Shit Out Of Thomas Jefferson
Below is an excerpt from a piece posted over on Techdirt by Lloyd Kaufman on the subject of copyright, the public domain and the Founding Fathers. It’s a great post in its own right, but when it gets...
View ArticleAnimators and the Law: Ideas
This is the first in a series of posts that take a look at just some of the many legal aspects of the animation industry. What is an idea? An idea is at the most basic level, a concept conceived by an...
View ArticleAnimators and the Law – Copyright
This is the second in a series of posts that take a look at just some of the many legal aspects of the animation industry. While it is not the be all and end all of the profession, copyright is...
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Animators and The Law: When Will Mickey Mouse Enter the Public Domain?
This is the fourth and last in a series of posts that take a look at just some of the many legal aspects of the animation industry. It’s a question that seems to lead plenty of people to this blog...
View ArticleCanadian Court Upholds Animator’s Copyright Claim Against Cinar
The Montreal Gazette is reporting that Quebec Court of Appealhas upheld a previous ruling against Cinar (the forerunner to Cookie Jar). The case involves Claude Robinson and a series he created called...
View ArticleThe Beatles Rally Against “Piracy” With Animation
Tip of the hat to Tim Cushing over at Techdirt for pointing out that the Beatles have joined together with the recording industry group Music Matters to create an animated video rallying against file...
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Explaining Copyright With Wit
C. G. P. Grey explains the history behind the concept and why the length of terms matters. Why post it here? Naturally, Disney is involved. PS. All original content on this blog is published under a...
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Remember, It’s Not Your Idea, It’s Your Interpretation of It
Yesterday, over on the Cartoon Brew Biz section, I read an announcement that the Disney Channel has ordered a pilot for broadcast in 2012 tentatively called Zombies and Cheerleaders. Now I’m not so...
View ArticlePlease Watch This Video And Answer the Poll
I came across this video on tumblr yesterday (thank you potatofarmgirl), and as a fan, I felt somewhat obliged to watch it. You should too, then read on. The notes on tumblr all circled around the...
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“Visual Creator” Sues the BBC for £2m for Copyright Infringement
Images (with apologies) via the UK Daily Mail Here we go again. This time from the UK, where Michael Mitchell is suing the BBC for copyright infringement over a show called Kerwhizz, which he claims is...
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Those YOOTOON Submission Requirements in Detail
So I was all set to write a post on the YOOTOON channel in general but Amid Amidi took care of that for me so instead, let’s take a closer look at those submission requirements shall we? From the...
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When Art, Pop Culture and Copyright Collide
Art, pop culture and copyright are three things I have an interest in, and when they all collide, we get awesome things like this piece by Aled Lewis which is currently for sale on Gallery 1988’s...
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3 Reasons The South Park Copyright Infringement Claim is Ludicris
Via: The A.V. Club Yup, that venerable organ of parody and disrespect, South Park, has gone too far! They’ve been sued for copyright infringement [TMZ, apologies, apologies] for the episode...
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Fred Seibert Is On the Money (When It Comes to Copyright)
Apologies for the unrelated pic but it does highlight the uncertainty surrounding copyright by many people. Fred Seibert is a guy I have a lot of respect and admiration for so it was quite surprising...
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Animation Case Highlights Distinction Between Copyright and Trademark
Back in September of this year, a case came to prominence in the UK whereby Disney threatened to sue independent studio, Brightspark over their strikingly familiar animated films. Take a look at the...
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Sita Sings the Blues Enters the Public Domain
Via: Sita Sings the Blues.com Nina Paley has jumped through so many hoops for her feature film Sita Sings the Blues that at this point, she may as well have her own circus. The latest tribulation was...
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