strong to the finitch cos i eats me spinach
Well blow me down: Popeye is out of copyright as of a few hours from now, reports the Telegraph. I’m tempted to make my own Popeye comic. I loves Popeye.
Elzie Segar, the Illinois artist who created Popeye, his love interest Olive Oyl and nemesis Bluto, died aged 43 in 1938 and an EU law that protects the rights of authors for 70 years after their death is about to end….
Mark Owen, an intellectual property specialist at the law firm Harbottle & Lewis, told the paper: “The Segar drawings are out of copyright, so anyone could put those on T-shirts, posters and cards and create a thriving business. If you sold a Popeye toy or Popeye spinach can, you could be infringing the trademark.”
“Popeye is one of the first of the famous 20th-century cartoon characters to fall out of copyright. Betty Boop and ultimately Mickey Mouse will follow.”
Eh? While Segar sadly died young, Betty’s creator Grim Natwick lived to the ripe old age of 100. That means, as I understand it, Betty Boop won’t be available for anyone to fool around with until 2060. I hope I get to have a crack at her.
Oh, and Uncle Walt died in 1966, so anyone who isn’t that keen on the mouse should sharpen their pencils and their wit in 2036.
Right, that’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more…