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Disney copyright?


mmerc20
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Is disney air corps artwork still copyrighted/protected? Are people or businesses allowed to print these images for profit purposes without getting permission?

 

Just curious.

 

Mike

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Ok. The reason I ask is because a well known military t-shirt company has introduced new shirts with patch designs on them and I know they are Disney images.

 

Mike

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vintageproductions

and if Disney catches them they will be sued.

 

Disney does not screw around with their designs.

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Ok. The reason I ask is because a well known military t-shirt company has introduced new shirts with patch designs on them and I know they are Disney images.

 

Mike

 

No doubt Disney's lawyers will let them know what is and what ain't allowed.

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Disney does not play around as Bob and Bob above have stated i remember reading news stories where their lawyers have gone after day care centers for unathorized use of mickey et al so they will probably come down hard on the user of ww2 insignia

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Well, funny we should be talking about this.

 

Disney takes its copyright and trademarks very seriously.

 

I asked about using images in my print book. They responded with an unequivocal no. But, I think that was because they had someone else write the "Official" narrative and the company published their own book. I then had a web site gallery set up listing items I wrote about in my book. I had 350 images listed and they had reference numbers that corresponded with the entries in my book. Well, guess what? And you only get one guess. They order my ISP to make the site go dark because they claimed I was in violation of the DMCA...digital millennium copyright act.

 

The first incarnation of my book, published back in 2000 had images. But not the most second edition.

 

That's said, the e-book version DOES have images. That is why I have kept the price low. I tell people to but the print version for their bookshelf, and the cheap digital version for the images.

 

What's always bugged me is how they pick and choose who they go after. They do not have to prosecute all of the infringers and just because they choose to not litigate against one doe snot give tacit permission to others to use their characters.

 

I have seen two different company insignia contracts and know of a third. The third has always interested me because in effect the contract sells the design to the government for $1.00, or so I have heard. If the design was sold to the government, I would argue said design is now in the public domain. But then I have a journalism diploma and not a law degree, and the house of the mouse can be quite litigious.

 

And I have always wondered how international copyright law comes into play. A book was recently published in Japan that is completely loaded with Disney and other cartoon insignia. And to my knowledge the publisher has not faced legal action, nor do they have, to my knowledge, permission to reproduce the images.

 

Publishing a series of Disney insignia volumes was always a dream. I have information on around 1,100 official Disney designs and several hundred other "unofficial" designs. I have around 800 or so images and I have written around 600+ unit biographies for the units that received designs.

 

if you want to know more about Disney copyright, read this, which I found quite interesting: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/22/business/fi-mickey22

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Emblem copyrights are retained by originating source, but may by used for publications of a historical and

educational nature as long as that publication does not feature one design source exclusively, e.g. Disney,

Warner Brothers, King Features, et al.

 

Individual 'For Profit' use of designs from a sole design source can bring down the Wrath of God.

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Emblem copyrights are retained by originating source, but may by used for publications of a historical and

educational nature as long as that publication does not feature one design source exclusively, e.g. Disney,

Warner Brothers, King Features, et al.

 

Individual 'For Profit' use of designs from a sole design source can bring down the Wrath of God.

 

What happens with Disney is they can out-lawyer just about everyone, so even apparently legal uses are going to be challenged by endless processions of lawyers who can force any challengers to say Uncle long before a case even goes before a judge.

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I wonder if it would be different if you published photos of the insignia in use from old images or even a new photo of them on a period jacket as opposed to actual artwork. It just seems that once those insignia became official government property or officially used by servicemembers, it is clearly public domain. But I agree with Bob, they'd make it too painful and expensive to pursue.

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I know a person on etsy that put Winnie the Pooh on a piece he made. Disney went through etsy and threatened to sue the website unless they had banned everyone that used Disney images.

 

 

On the other hand I work for a company that has a licensing agreement with Disney. I have been trying to convince them to do pieces with military insignia on them. My job is making Disney redwood carvings for a living currently.

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I wonder if it would be different if you published photos of the insignia in use from old images or even a new photo of them on a period jacket as opposed to actual artwork. It just seems that once those insignia became official government property or officially used by servicemembers, it is clearly public domain. But I agree with Bob, they'd make it too painful and expensive to pursue.

 

 

All of the images I wanted to use in my book were non-art related: patches, stationary, decals, matchbook covers, and various home front items related to rationing, Victory Gardens, scrap and salvage campaigns, and savings and bond campaigns. There were no pieces of actual art on the list of items I wanted to picture. There were around 350 items in total. Same with the gallery I put up and was ordered to take down...all images of items produced during the war for military personnel or for use on the home front.

 

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