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Poster:	NAveryW	Date:	November 14, 2011 07:08:21pm
Forum:	moviesandfilms	Subject:	Re: Is Gamera, the character, public domain?

But wasn't there a case that determined that you can't use trademark to protect characters who have fallen out of copyright because it functionally extends copyright indefinitely?

I can't remember which case or character it was, but it's possible I'm thinking of Fleischer Studios, Inc. v. A.V.E.L.A., Inc. The district court ruled that Fleischer no longer owned the copyright or trademark to Betty Boop, but it seems Fleischer appealed and the Ninth Circuit reached a much less straightforward opinion... and it looks like the case is still going.

This post was modified by NAveryW on 2011-11-15 03:05:45

This post was modified by NAveryW on 2011-11-15 03:08:21

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Poster:	froggod	Date:	November 24, 2011 07:54:04pm
Forum:	moviesandfilms	Subject:	Re: Is Gamera, the character, public domain?

Actually, the last trademark held by the studio was abandoned on October 7, 2011, per the USPTO site...