A few years back there was a company that advertised in Modern
Jeweler Magazine , but I have yet to find the back issues with that
add.It was a company that was selling Disney and I think Warner
Bros. themed wax patterns , I believe it was in Florida.Does anyone
know of this company or of a source for like patterns?
Thanks in advance. Timothy
Disney probably stomped on them – they are very, very vigilent
about copyright protection. You can’t produce anything Disney without
their stamp of approval. I even remember hearing about a school or a
daycare center getting in trouble with them for painting Pooh and
Tigger on their walls without permission.
Suzanne
Suzanne Wade
writer/editor
Suzanne@rswade.net
Phone: (508) 339-7366
Fax: (520) 563-8255
It might be a good idea when you find a source to make sure they are
a Disney approved company. I hear Disney aggressively pursues any
unauthorized duplication. Rose Alene McArthur
VERY bad idea to make ANY Disney or W-B designs for ANY reason,
unless you have written permission from their legal department. Disney
is notorious for having a staff of lawyers who take great glee in
PUNISHING anyone who violates their copyright…AND they have no sense
of humor!
A few years ago, I had a visit from the wife of a Vice-President at
Disney. She brought some “costume” jewelry Mickey and Minnie Mouse
© items, and wanted me to copy them in 18K gold for cufflinks for
him. I was prescient enough to write a letter to their legal
department, offering to send them to rubber molds for destruction,
after the cufflinks were made.
Under NO circumstances was I going to get permission to do this job
for her, and I gsve up on it! David Barzilay, Lord of the Rings.
Hi all
In order to get by any copyright law you must change the piece or
picture 20% from the original. so if you copy mickey mouse and change
the way he looks 20% now you have Jackie mouse there is nothing
anyone can do. Remember copyright law works on specific details. Food
for thought.
Gary
In order to get by any copyright law you must change the piece or picture 20% from the original.
With respect, this is dangerous advise. I was a copyright lawyer in
a former career and have never heard of a simple % formula for
determining infringement, only 3 tests - 1. causal connection (the
piece has to have been copied), 2. striking similarity, 3.
substantial part of the original. 1 is a question of fact; 2 & 3
subjective tests…and therein lies the problem. Having been on the
receiving end of Disney’s “enthusiastic” legal dept, I totally agree
with previous subscribers comments about them. Worth remembering
that regardless of the validity of a claim, chances are a large
corporation has more $$$ to pursue it than you have to defend it!
Deborah
Gary,
Actually, U.S. copyright law does not include any particular
percentage that would make a copy acceptable. The law reads that
copyright applies to the original work and any work that is
“substantially similar.” Therefore, if “Jackie Mouse” looks
“substantially” like Mickey Mouse, Disney has every right to sue you
for copyright infringement, no matter what minor changes you may have
made. And if “Jackie Mouse” doesn’t look “substantially” like
Mickey Mouse, what’s the point?
Lots of people have quoted lots of percentages over the years, but
the intellectual property attorneys I’ve spoken to on this subject
agree that the law provides a subjective measure, not an absolute.
You can’t make minor changes to a piece, claim you’ve changed “20
percent” or “25 percent” or “10 percent” of the design, and be in the
clear. You can still be sued – and if the copyright you’re violating
is Disney’s, you probably will be. And if a judge sees your piece as
“substantially similar” – and it’s all up to his judgment – you
will lose.
For more on this topic, AJM Magazine and Lapidary Journal have both
published numerous articles over the past couple of years,
including several I’ve written. AJM also published an article in
August 1997, written by a copyright attorney, explaining what
copyright is and giving step-by-step instructions for filling out the
copyright form. For copies of AJM articles on the topic, visit AJM’s
Article index at http://www.ajm-magazine.com or call MJSA at
800-444-MJSA. The copies are free to members and available to
non-members for a reasonable handling fee.
Suzanne
If there is a Disney store any where within one hundred miles and
the word gets back, you will be challanged vigeriously. I have seen
it several times. Fortunately not with the jewelry arts, but with
crafters that make wooden items for childrens rooms. Disney Frowns.
don