After decades of protection, several notable properties will enter the public domain in 2024 and beyond. That means you can use them without having to pay a licensing fee. Most notably for the toy industry, these public domain characters include
Thus a drawing, picture, depiction, or written description of a character can be registered for copyright. Protection does not, however, extend to the title or general theme for a cartoon or comic strip, the general idea or name for characters depicted, or their intangible attributes.
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Winnie the Pooh is in the public domain
The characters of A. A. Milne's 1926 classic Winnie the Pooh are free to use legally without repercussion. US copyright law means that works of authors are avalable to use either 70 years after the author's death or 95 years after publication.
Walt Disney Co. has controlled the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh since 1961 and kept depictions of Milne's talking animals true to the spirit of the family-friendly material. The copyright expired in January 2022. Since then, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends have been available to the public for other purposes.
Today, animation historians refer to the original Tom and Jerry characters as Van Beuren's Tom and Jerry. Today, all of these cartoons are in the public domain.
"Tinker Bell" appeared as a character in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, first staged in 1904, and so the parties were in agreement that under copyright law, both the name and the character are in the public domain.
Copyright Law
The Sonny Bono Act of 1998 gave works created after 1923 a 20-year extension of copyright protection. This means cartoons created after 1923 won't enter the public domain until at least 2019.
Copyright law does not protect the titles of books or movies, nor does it protect short phrases such as, “Make my day.” Copyright protection also doesn't cover facts, ideas, or theories. These things are free for all to use without authorization.
The Grinch should've entered PD in 2014, but due to current copyright law, that won't be until at least 2053.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Twenty-three of the 24 Peter Rabbit books are in the public domain. However, the characters and images still have a trademark on them.
US copyright
Although the novel Peter Pan (also known as Peter and Wendy) is in the public domain in the US, the play (and stage adaptations) is in copyright there until December 2023.
Most notably for the toy industry, these public domain characters include Mickey Mouse, Superman, Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Batman, and Bugs Bunny. Before you begin placing Batman logos on your toys, however, be mindful that the freedom to use these characters is limited to how they looked when they first appeared.
It's just wishful thinking to imagine that lovable Charlie Brown and Snoopy could be public domain by now. They are not. In October, Apple TV Plus obtained the exclusive rights to the “Peanuts” catalog from the Charles Schulz estate (learn more on The New York Times).
When Will SpongeBob Season 1 Enter Public Domain? AND When will the first episodes of season 1 of SpongeBob Enter Public Domain? Never. Viacom will never let their copyrights expire, especially on SpongeBob products.
In addition to Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore have already been released into the public domain. Following them, Tigger's copyright protection is set to lapse in 2024.
According to US copyright law, the rights for a character expire 95 years after the publication of the original work. Disney will lose the Mickey Mouse copyright for Steamboat Willie in 2024, since the short animated film was produced and distributed in 1928.
The Mickey Mouse Copyright Runs Out in 2024 – What That Means for All of Us. 2024 will specifically pull “Steamboat Willie, “The Barn Dance,” and that original design of Mickey Mouse into the public domain in terms of copyright law.
SHREK Trademark of DREAMWORKS ANIMATION L.L.C. - Registration Number 2617695 - Serial Number 76278673 :: Justia Trademarks.
Like Doyle's short stories still under copyright protection, elements from A.A. Milne's second book, The House at Pooh Corner, are not yet in the public domain. Tigger was first introduced in this second book, and therefore is still copyright protected and cannot be used without a proper license.
The story has been a public domain work in the U.S. since 1940.