This one brings a question to my mind, actually. Is the character that is now public domain called "Steamboat Willie", or is it called "Mickey Mouse"? If I look at the wikipedia page, the poster in the image at the top right calls it a "Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoon", which makes me think that it should be legal to refer to him as "Mickey".
Does anyone know if Disney could sue people who call him "Mickey" rather than "Willie"?
But it also means the cartoons themselves can also be parodied freely, that is, not Mickey himself, but the situations he's in regarding those cartoons' storylines ....
This one brings a question to my mind, actually. Is the character that is now public domain called "Steamboat Willie", or is it called "Mickey Mouse"? If I look at the wikipedia page, the poster in the image at the top right calls it a "Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoon", which makes me think that it should be legal to refer to him as "Mickey".
Does anyone know if Disney could sue people who call him "Mickey" rather than "Willie"?
I think you're right. 3 cartoons referring to him as "Mickey Mouse" are public domain, so the name should be too.
But it also means the cartoons themselves can also be parodied freely, that is, not Mickey himself, but the situations he's in regarding those cartoons' storylines ....
Parody is fair use within the limits of fair use. It was legal before.
Disney will threaten to sue you if you even talk about using Mickey Mouse.