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Trademark doesn't have time limits like Copyright. There is no real threat to Disney's control over the Mickey character in commerce.


Can you cite where the work in the public domain can be stopped from mashups by trademark currently. It sounds like as soon as the copyright expires people can do their own thing with the work.


Here's some more information on the subject: http://copyright.nova.edu/mickey-public-domain/


> the Court ruled that in order for trademark to protect a character in the public domain, the character must have obtained “secondary meaning.”

That's a pretty high bar, and what I suggested for a compromise was quite a bit lower.




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