Year: 2008

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“Mouse Print” Could Strip Disney of Mickey

Old Mickey, LA TimesFor a change of pace this week, we look at “mouse print”, literally — the copyright notice used by the Walt Disney company to protect its most famous cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. It seems the company may have failed to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s in the early days, and that could thrust Mickey, or at least an early version of him, into the public domain.

As reported in the LA Times, here is how the story begins:

Disney’s Rights to Young Mickey Mouse May be Wrong

Film credits from the 1920s reveal imprecision in copyright claims that some experts say could invalidate Disney’s long-held copyright.

By Joseph Menn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 22, 2008
He is the world’s most famous personality, better known in this country than anyone living or dead, real or fictional. Market researchers say his 97% recognition rate in the U.S. edges out even Santa Claus.

He is the one — and, for now, only — Mickey Mouse.

As Mickey turns 80 this fall, the most beloved rodent in show business is widely regarded as a national treasure. But he is owned lock, stock and trademark ears by the corporate heirs of his genius creator, Walt Disney.

Brand experts reckon his value to today’s Walt Disney Co. empire at more than $3 billion. Acts of Congress have extended Mickey’s copyright so long that they provoked a Supreme Court challenge, making Mickey the ultimate symbol of intellectual property.

All signs pointed to a Hollywood ending with Disney and Mickey Mouse living happily ever after — at least until a grumpy former employee looked closely at fine print long forgotten in company archives.

Please visit the LA Times to read the full story, lest Mouse Print* be guilty of copyright infringement.

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Delta is Ready with New Fees for Frequent Fliers

Over the past few weeks, some airlines announced new fees and policies for members of their frequent flier programs. Delta’s new charges for Skymiles members somehow seemed more obnoxious than most:

*MOUSE PRINT:

— Awards booked less than 21 days before travel will incur fees of $75, $100, or $150; while booking 21 or more days in advance is fee-free.

— There will be a $25 fuel surcharge for domestic flights, and $50 internationally.

— Miles needed for a domestic coach roundtrip will now be 25,000, 40,000 or 60,000. (Funny how the cheap 25,000 point seats always seem to be unavailable.) The site cleverly makes you think they lowered the number of miles needed by displaying the number for a ONE-WAY trip rather than the traditional (and still required) roundtrip:

— If one segment of your trip is on a partner airline, there is an additional $25 partner fee.

— Miles will now expire two years from the date of the last qualifying activity in your account.  Previously, they gave you until December 31st of the year two years after your last activity.  The effect of this to further shorten the life of your miles, so they can wipe out your account sooner.

Remember the good old days when a free ticket really was a free tickert? Well, at least as the New Times says, the airsickness bags are still free.

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Holy Mackerel, StarKist Downsizes Tuna

Something is fishy at StarKist. In a move that will likely ripple through the entire tuna industry, the company has just downsized their tuna cans.

*MOUSE PRINT:

A customer service representative for StarKist explained that tuna prices have reached an all-time high, and coupled with the increased cost of transportation and other ingredients, they had to make a change. Instead of increasing the price, she said, they decreased the can size.

Putting an environmental spin on the downsizing, the company said it will save two million gallons of water a year, while only taking out two teaspoons of tuna from each can.

Tuna has a long history of being downsized. Once upon a time, tuna came in 7 ounce cans (at least solid white did). Then, cans were downsized to 6.5 oz., then 6-1/8 oz., and finally to 6 oz. maybe a decade ago. All the while, what had originally consisted of solid pieces of chunk light tuna fish, became a mush of too little fish and too much ocean.

[Note to readers: Because we are seeing more and more of these sneaky, backdoor price increases, Mouse Print* will only bring you news like this when a major product category is downsized.]