When does MLP Go into Public Domain?

[ScarfaceOne 263]

It is just that Hasbro owns all copyrights recently. If it was Public Domain we could do anything we want with it and it would be a turning point for Bronies. When does it enter it? 2040? 2050? 2080?

[Looking Glass 197]

according to us copyright law, 70 years from the date of the original authors death (for books and other material with a single person holding copyright.

 

for a corporate work, (like MLP), its 95 years from publishing date or 120 years from original creation date. (whichever expires first)

 

so, about 2104, mlp will fall into public domain. (assuming the original 1984 date is the date that us congress goes by, otherwise, it won't be till 2130 at the earliest.

 

currently, single author works from before 1923 (up to 1944 if the author died before 1944) are public domain, and corporate works made before 1894 are within public domain.

[simba86 1,541]

so in other words dont wait up lol!

[Argumedies 1,748]

Guess I'll catch up with in the next life lol

[Noire Panzer 3,526]

Well hopefully my next life involves me liking MLP or I magically become immortal. That's quite the wait there for MLP to hit public domain ^^''...

[ghostfacekiller39 23,857]

It's going to take a very long time - we'll pretty much all be dead, unless technology expands enough to extend the natural life span of human beings

Edited June 6, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[ScarfaceOne 263]

according to us copyright law, 70 years from the date of the original authors death (for books and other material with a single person holding copyright.

 

for a corporate work, (like MLP), its 95 years from publishing date or 120 years from original creation date. (whichever expires first)

 

so, about 2104, mlp will fall into public domain. (assuming the original 1984 date is the date that us congress goes by, otherwise, it won't be till 2130 at the earliest.

 

currently, single author works from before 1923 (up to 1944 if the author died before 1944) are public domain, and corporate works made before 1894 are within public domain.

 

Oh but i will be dead then!!!

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

http://www.hasbro.com/home/copyrightold.html

 

 

Action Man, Action Man logo, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Clue, Clue logo, Don’t Wake Daddy, Easy Bake Oven, Family Game Night, Fishin’ Around, The Game of Life, Gator Golf, Get Together Games, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe logo, Hasbro, Hasbro logo, HasbroCollectors.com, Hi Ho Cherry-O, Kenner, Kenner logo, Lucky Ducks, Making the World Smile, Milton Bradley, Milton Bradley logo, My First Games, My Little Pony, Nerf, Nerf logo, Original Memory Game, Parcheesi, Parker Brothers, Parker Brothers logo, Payday, Playskool, Playskool logo, Sorry, Starting Lineup, Staring Lineup logo, The Best Part of Playing is Playing Together, Tinkertoy, Tinkertoy logo, Tonka, Tonka logo, Twister, and Yahtzee are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. © 1999 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

for a corporate work, (like MLP), its 95 years from publishing date or 120 years from original creation date. (whichever expires first)

The date here is 1999, which leads me to assume it would be 2094, unless I'm missing something. and if My Little Pony was first made in 1983, then wouldn't it be 2078, or 2103 at the latest?

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

So late that you will all be dead, and gen4 will just be a fancy old time novelty.

[Red Cedar 1,407]

Under current U.S. Copyright laws (which you can pretty much thank Disney for), MLP:FiM would enter the public domain in 2105.

 

Not holding my breath.

[simba86 1,541]

now if hasbro lets you do it, and they don't defend their rights to it that would be a different matter

people in the g1 fandom do all kinds of things and i have never heard of hasbro serving a C&D on them because it is 30 years old and they dont use or sell g1 anymore so they dont realy defend it, you will probably have an easier time in 20 or 30 years when mlp moves into something different

BUT until 2105 they could still send their lawers after you if they wanted to

[hawkflame 3,308]

according to us copyright law, 70 years from the date of the original authors death (for books and other material with a single person holding copyright.

 

for a corporate work, (like MLP), its 95 years from publishing date or 120 years from original creation date. (whichever expires first)

 

so, about 2104, mlp will fall into public domain. (assuming the original 1984 date is the date that us congress goes by, otherwise, it won't be till 2130 at the earliest.

 

currently, single author works from before 1923 (up to 1944 if the author died before 1944) are public domain, and corporate works made before 1894 are within public domain.

 

And this is assuming that they even let it lapse to begin with, right?  IIRC, they could renew copyright perpetually, meaning that your grandkids' grandkids' grandkids could be in the grave and they'd still have a hold on the copyright.

[Red Cedar 1,407]

And this is assuming that they even let it lapse to begin with, right?  IIRC, they could renew copyright perpetually, meaning that your grandkids' grandkids' grandkids could be in the grave and they'd still have a hold on the copyright.

 

Copyrights cannot be extended. Once they expire, they're over, so barring another change to copyright law, they will be over after 95 years.

 

Trademarks can be renewed indefinitely, but have a significantly shorter duration (about 20 years, I believe).

[simba86 1,541]

Copyrights cannot be extended. Once they expire, they're over, so barring another change to copyright law, they will be over after 95 years.

 

Trademarks can be renewed indefinitely, but have a significantly shorter duration (about 20 years, I believe).

i just looked at some of my MIB ponies and they are trademarked so at least the names are

[hawkflame 3,308]

Copyrights cannot be extended. Once they expire, they're over, so barring another change to copyright law, they will be over after 95 years.

 

Trademarks can be renewed indefinitely, but have a significantly shorter duration (about 20 years, I believe).

 

 

Interesting.  Even if the copyright expires, the trademark could still be extended, right?  So I believe even if the copyright on the show does lapse, as long as Hasbro is still using the characters, they have sole ownership of any new material made from those characters  (I think that's why you have so many fly by night companies who released the old Fleischer Superman cartoons- He's a trademarked character, owned by Time Warner, but his old animated shorts fell into public domain before Disney extended the deadline)

 

So in MLP terms, I think that even if it does fall into public domain, all that means is that you could rerelease G4 episodes, and can't make new ones yourself without Hasbro's permission...

[Red Cedar 1,407]

Old cartoons would fall under copyright. If the term had expired, then anyone can broadcast or distribute that cartoon without paying royalties.

 

Trademarks have to be more specific - a word, or a specific still image. They can trademark the name "Superman", or his logo, but not the overall image of Superman himself as that would mean trademarking every possible pose he could be drawn in and that would be a bureaucratic nightmare. (In MLP's case, it is the names of the ponies, and possibly also their cutie marks, that are trademarked.)

 

This is not to say that trademarking has not been used to circumvent the expiration of copyrights. The name of Edgar Rice Burroughs' most famous novel character - Tarzan - is trademarked, so even though the novels are out of copyright, anyone wanting to reprint them or make anything based on them (such as a film) has to talk to the corporation that owns the trademarks (which is owned by Burroughs' heirs).

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

Regardless of law, MLP will fall into public domain when Hasbro no longer feels the copyright is worth enforcing. The minute MLP is no longer profitable enough to merit protecting, Hasbro will stop sending in lawyers, even if the law is on their side. Copyright law may apply for a long time, but it is possible that Hasbro may cease caring and allow MLP (or a least current generations) to effectively fall into public domain within a relatively short span compared to the legal timeline.

[Shadow Scoundrel 5]

Under current U.S. Copyright laws (which you can pretty much thank Disney for), MLP:FiM would enter the public domain in 2105.

 

Not holding my breath.

I might still be alive when that happens...

[ScarfaceOne 263]

Ah, But what if Hasbro went Bankrupt(Which is very Unlikely)? Then they cannot Trademark it. That way we can get what we want!!!

[Untitled Goose Q 5,136]

Ah, But what if Hasbro went Bankrupt(Which is very Unlikely)? Then they cannot Trademark it. That way we can get what we want!!!

They would still own the copyright. Wouldn't change anything.

[Adente 1,000]

Yeah, I wouldn't wait up for that. Hasbro owns MLP, and that's that. I actually like it that way, even though everyone probably thinks I'm crazy for saying that. 

[Red Cedar 1,407]

Ah, But what if Hasbro went Bankrupt(Which is very Unlikely)? Then they cannot Trademark it. That way we can get what we want!!!

If (big if) Hasbro goes bankrupt, its assets will likely first be sold off to the highest bidder. That will include its trademarks and copyrights to its intellectual property. Someone will continue to own the rights.

[Orablanco Account 3,706]

Oh man. Even within the context of a future society in which we've evolved into a more logical race built upon the ideals of fairness and intellectualism, the thought of MLP owned by bronies is deeply frightening to me.

[Raiko 43]

You could always start a Hydra-esque thing where you create a secret conspiracy to wait for that day. Guess everyone will be whispering "Hail Twilight" into each others' ears and what not.

[Fluttermena 1,223]

Eugh, fucking property rights. Society is batshit insane.

I mean, try to step out of your cultural conditioning for a minute, and take a long, hard look at society from a natural, unbiaised point of view. You'll find that many of the social convention we take for granted could only have come from the mind of a demented lunatic.

 

Someone made up an idea, and, by trading it for currency, they gave someone else the right to forbid you from using or expanding upon that idea, under threat of force and imprisonment.

What. The. Fuck.