Re: [Ogf-l] Legacy products and non-copyrightable material

[John Kim]

On Thu, 1 Nov 2001, lizard wrote:
> NO, SUPERMAN IS NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT, PUBLIC DOMAIN. Even if the comic
> books were (THEY ARE NOT), the "Superman" character is protected by
> trademark eight ways from Sunday.
> 
> I do not know where you got this from, but it is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

        Actually, I think there are Superman cartoons which have 
been allowed to fall into the public domain.  This is because prior 
to 1992, copyright holders had to apply for copyright renewal if 
they wanted the copyright to apply past 28 years.  If they failed 
to apply, then the work might lapse into the public domain.  

        I think there are a number of Superman cartoons produced in 
the early 1940's which the owner failed to apply for renewal of and 
which were not covered by automatic extensions.  Thus, they lapsed 
into public domain.  In contrast, the copyright for "Steamboat Willy" 
(the cartoon where Mickey Mouse debuted in 1928) remains strong.


_______________________________________________
Ogf-l mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l