LA Times on Disney’s Mickey Mouse copyright

Today’s Los Angeles Times has a terrific page-one article on the quirks of Disney’s copyright of Mickey Mouse and explains how the images of the early Mickey may be available for public domain use.

It’s not a news story, but an overview of the company’s 80 years of copyright enforcement, and a profile of several folks (including former Disney archivist Gregory Brown) who have attempted to expose the holes in Disney’s copyright claims. To quote the piece: “Welcome to the wonderful world of copyright law.” To read it online click here.

Update: As addendum to the Times article read Lauren Van Pelt’s and Douglas A. Hedenkamp’s papers on Disney copyright.

(Thanks, Aaron H. Bynum)