The giant stuffed bear, its face a twisted smile, lumbers across the screen. Menacing music swells. Shadows mask unknown threats. Christopher Robin begs for his life. And is that a sledgehammer about to pulverize a minor character香蕉视频直播檚 head?

Thus unfolds the for the 2023 movie 香蕉视频直播淲innie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,香蕉视频直播� a slasher-film riff on A.A. Milne香蕉视频直播檚 beloved characters, brought to you by 香蕉视频直播� the expiration of copyright and the arrival of the classic children香蕉视频直播檚 novel into the American public domain.

We were already living in an era teeming with remixes and repurposing, fan fictions and mashups. Then began a parade of characters and stories, led by and with many more to follow, marching into the public domain, where anyone can do anything with anything and shape it into a new generation of stories and ideas.

After a two-decade drought brought on by congressional extensions of the copyright period in 1998, works again began entering the public domain 香蕉视频直播� becoming available for use without licensing or payment 香蕉视频直播� in 2019. The public began to notice in 2022, when was freed for use as the 95-year copyright period elapsed on the novel that introduced him.

That made possible 香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� not to mention a sequel that dropped last month, a forthcoming third and plans for a 香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� of twisted public domain characters including Bambi and Pinocchio. Pooh going public was followed this year by a moment many thought would never come: the copyright expiration on the original version of Mickey Mouse, as he appeared in the 1928 Walt Disney short, 香蕉视频直播淪teamboat Willie.香蕉视频直播�

The mouse and the bear are but the beginning. The heights of 20th century pop culture 香蕉视频直播� Superman among them 香蕉视频直播� lie ahead.

Classic characters, new stories, fresh mashups. Will it be all be a bonanza for makers? Are we entering a heyday of cross-generational collaboration or a plummet in intellectual property values as audiences get sick of seeing variations of the same old stories?

Does a murderous Pooh bear have something to show the 21st century entertainment world?

COULD THIS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE?

Films from Hollywood香蕉视频直播檚 early talkie era have started to become public. King Kong, who has one of his enormous feet in the public domain already because of complications between companies that own a piece of him, will shed his remaining chains in 2029. Then, in the 2030s, Superman will soar into the public domain, followed in quick succession by Batman, the Joker and Wonder Woman.

The possibility of new stories is vast. So is the possibility of repetition. Classic stories and characters could get, well a bit tiresome.

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 feel like it香蕉视频直播檚 going to make that big a difference,香蕉视频直播� says Phil Johnston, an Oscar nominee who co-wrote Disney香蕉视频直播檚 2011 香蕉视频直播淲reck It-Ralph香蕉视频直播� and co-wrote and co-directed its sequel, 2018香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淩alph Breaks the Internet.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淟ike, 香蕉视频直播榃innie the Pooh Blood and Honey香蕉视频直播� was was a novelty, made a bit of a splash, I guess. But if someone makes 香蕉视频直播楽teamboat Willie香蕉视频直播� (into) a jet ski movie or something, who cares?香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淚f there香蕉视频直播檚 some great new idea behind it, maybe. But there香蕉视频直播檚 nothing I香蕉视频直播檓 looking at where I香蕉视频直播檓 thinking, 香蕉视频直播極h, my God, now that 香蕉视频直播橳he Jazz Singer香蕉视频直播� is available, I香蕉视频直播檓 going to redo that.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

Many creators were clearly anxious to do something with 香蕉视频直播淭he Great Gatsby,香蕉视频直播� which has been subject to several reinterpretations in very different flavors since it became public in 2021, says Jennifer Jenkins, a professor of law and .

香蕉视频直播淲e have our feminist retellings of `The Great Gatsby香蕉视频直播�, where from her perspective, Daisy gets to tell the story from her perspective,香蕉视频直播� Jenkins says. 香蕉视频直播淲e got prequels, we got sequels, we香蕉视频直播檝e got musicals, TV shows, we香蕉视频直播檝e got because we always do. These are things that you can do with public domain work. These are things that you can do with with Mickey Mouse.香蕉视频直播�

But the newly available works and characters are arriving after years of parent corporations demanding that every creation be tied to their intellectual property. And with some big, 香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播�-sized exceptions, the returns are growing thinner, and artists themselves are a little sick of it.

香蕉视频直播淭he biggest limiting factor right now is that almost everything that anyone wants is has to be from existing IP,香蕉视频直播� says Johnston, whose newest project is an animated adaptation of Roald Dahl香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淭he Twits香蕉视频直播� for Netflix. 香蕉视频直播滱nd that that the notion of an original idea is somehow scary, certainly to a marketing entity, because they just have to work harder to get it into the public香蕉视频直播檚 consciousness. That香蕉视频直播檚 the bummer.香蕉视频直播�

And while Shakespeare, Dickens and Austen have been public-domain gold mines at various times, other properties have proven more problematic. The forthcoming 香蕉视频直播� ,香蕉视频直播� starring and Cynthia Erivo, will be yet another attempt at using the public-domain work of author Frank Baum香蕉视频直播檚 Oz 香蕉视频直播� filtered through a hit novel and Broadway show 香蕉视频直播� to glom onto the classic status of the 1939 香蕉视频直播淲izard of Oz香蕉视频直播� film. Previous tries led to little success, and most were outright flops, most recently 2013香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淥z the Great and Powerful,香蕉视频直播� from Disney.

(In an odd quirk of the 香蕉视频直播淲izard of Oz香蕉视频直播� rights, the film香蕉视频直播檚 most famous artifact, Dorothy香蕉视频直播檚 , are still the intellectual property of MGM via the 1939 film. In Baum香蕉视频直播檚 book, the shoes were silver.)

IN THE BEGINNING, DISNEY LED THE WAY WITH PUBLIC DOMAIN SUCCESS

Some of the most effective use ever of public domain properties came from Disney itself in its early decades, turning time-tested folktales and novels into modern classics with 香蕉视频直播淪now White,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淧inocchio香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淐inderella.香蕉视频直播� It would later become the primary protector of the most valuable rights in entertainment, from the Marvel universe to the Star Wars galaxy to its homegrown content.

That has meant a major flowering through the years of fan art and fan fiction, with which the company has a mixed relationship.

香蕉视频直播淲hen you look at how the Disney organization actually engages with fan art, there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of looking the other way,香蕉视频直播� says , an author and activist who advocates for broader public ownership of works. 香蕉视频直播淚 always thought that there was so much opportunity for collaboration that was being missed there.香蕉视频直播�

He gives as an example binders full of fan-fiction biographies of the ghosts at Disney World香蕉视频直播檚 Haunted Mansion, maintained by the teens who work there, which he observed when working on a project with the company香蕉视频直播檚 so-called Imagineers.

香蕉视频直播淪ome of it actually is now part of the lore,香蕉视频直播� Doctorow says. 香蕉视频直播淚 think that creatively that is an organization that really embraces that. I think commercially it香蕉视频直播檚 an organization that has really struggled with it.香蕉视频直播�

When the law extending copyright by 20 years passed in 1998, musicians including Bob Dylan were among the key figures who had implored Congress to act. Younger generations of musicians, who came up awash in sampling and remixing, made no discernible outcry for another extension. In part this could be because in the streaming era, many of them make little off recorded music.

Jimmy Tamborello, who records and performs electronic music under the name Dntel and as part of The Postal Service 香蕉视频直播� a group whose very name caused trademark headaches with the official version at its inception 香蕉视频直播� says artists are generally happy to allow others to turn their work into new things. The problem is companies that come between them, and get most of the financial benefit.

香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 always a corporation involved,香蕉视频直播� Tamborello says. 香蕉视频直播淚 think no one would care if it was just artists to artists. I feel like it would be nice if it was more open, more free. It seems like it has more to do with respecting the original work.香蕉视频直播�

He says it was 香蕉视频直播渞eally exciting香蕉视频直播� when the rapper used his hook from The Postal Service香蕉视频直播檚 best known song, 香蕉视频直播淪uch Great Heights香蕉视频直播� on a track released on YouTube and Soundcloud even before he made the proper legal arrangements to use it on an album.

Johnston says age and experience have made him feel less possessive about his own work.

香蕉视频直播淓arlier in my career, everything was an affront. Everything made me angry and like, 香蕉视频直播楾hat was that was my idea! I should have had credit for that!香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈�� he says. 香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 want to say I香蕉视频直播檓 just easy and breezy about it, but I think there are so few truly original ideas. 香蕉视频直播�. We all kind of will have similar thoughts at a certain point. So it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 particularly bother me.香蕉视频直播�

His attitude changes if the re-maker is not an artist but . That was a key issue in last year香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播� and is yet another facet of remix culture that, alongside copyright expirations, could change the faces of some of history香蕉视频直播檚 most renowned characters in ways no one has ever considered.

香蕉视频直播淚f a writer feels for me, it香蕉视频直播檚 fine,香蕉视频直播� Johnston says. 香蕉视频直播淚f an AI steals from me, that sucks.香蕉视频直播�

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