Dec 31
The copyright expiry means that, from Thursday, anyone can print and sell Popeye posters, T-shirts and even create new comic strips, without the need for authorisation or to make royalty payments.
Woot.
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EXTRALIFE – By Scott Johnson is powered by WordPress with ComicPress | Subscribe: RSS Feed | Return to Top
incoming Popeye movie
Not in the US. It’s still protected until 2024.
It’ll be like Mickey Mouse. The expiration time will come, some lobbyists will argue against it becoming public domain and the rules get bent again to allow the mega-goliaths companies to keep what should have become public domain decades ago.
1.5 Billion British pounds a year? I’ve never heard of a single cartoon character bringing in that much dough unless you count the entire Disney stable of characters.
Make one Scott.
Well blow me down!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4017251/Popeyes-copyright-to-expire-in-January.html
“While the copyright is about to expire inside the EU, the character is protected in the US until 2024. US law protects a work for 95 years after its initial copyright.
The Popeye trademark, a separate entity to Segar’s authorial copyright, is owned by King Features, a subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation which is expected to protect its brand aggressively.
Mark Owen, an intellectual property specialist at the law firm Harbottle & Lewis, told the paper: “The Segar drawings are out of copyright, so anyone could put those on T-shirts, posters and cards and create a thriving business. If you sold a Popeye toy or Popeye spinach can, you could be infringing the trademark.” “
So scott you are breaking copyright as we speak…
Bluto (TM)(R)(C) will be coming by to pay yous a visit. yuk yuk yuk yukkkaa
Don’t worry Scott, just tell them you’ll gladly pay them on Tuesday for use of his image today.
Drat, so much for the idea of making a profit from the jail shower scene I occasionally do to make customers laugh.
(“Huh… waitaminute, I don’t see no soapsk on the floor… WHOA!”)
I just need to find a talented (sick) animator and someone who does a good Olive voice. Then YouTube would be mine!
“Bowser57on 01 Jan 2009 at 2:14 am
Don’t worry Scott, just tell them you’ll gladly pay them on Tuesday for use of his image today.”
That has to be the greatest comment I have ever read on this site!
I wonder if he will show up in Fable then…or Extralife! that would be cooler too!
I have a vision of him appearing as an unlockable character in every brawler game from now till the end of time…as a sad sad joke (No spinach! WTF?!).
The sights and sounds of Olive Oyl makes me shrivel. (Shelley Duvall still does, too.)
I hope they find a way to circumvent this. I can’t have idiots legally putting words into Popeye’s mouth.