The Unresolved Mystery: Contested Scope of Copyright Protection of Sherlock Holmes
Jan Di Lee Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of the most popular and loved series of all time. The Sherlock Holmes series has inspired numerous films and books that continue to be produced today. Sherlock Holmes has become more than a fictional character, but an icon and a subject of study and controversy. With numerous films and literature being produced with the elements from Sherlock Holmes, issues of copyright infringement frequently arise. This essay looks at copyright lawsuits surrounding Sherlock Holmes and discusses the contested scope of the public domain. This essay argues that human...
Protection of Characters: Creator of The Moodsters Sues the Walt Disney Company over Allegedly Stolen Characters
Bertie Magit Movie studios, authors, musicians and other creative-types frequently find themselves on the receiving end of lawsuits for copyright infringement. Factual elements such as whose idea was first and whether the original work was protected under copyright may become wholly irrelevant if the two works are markedly different. In June 2017, Childhood Development expert Denise Daniels filed a complaint against The Walt Disney Company for copyright infringement of her anthropomorphous, color-coded emotion characters she originally conceived as The Moodsters. Daniels alleged that these characters were the real inspiration for Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out and Walt Disney Company has stolen the...