Have any doubts about whether Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park is a Disneyland knockoff? Just watch this:
Man, seeing those beloved characters represented through ill-fitting, cheaply-made fur costumes . . . and when they take their heads off in front of Guests . . . I can’t help but shudder.
But does anybody else find this all a bit amusing, especially in the context of the Mickey Mouse Protection Act? And the fact that many of Disney’s best-loved classic characters are based on public-domain folklore?
And there’s more on the Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park situation today from DIS News:
Disney bosses are in crisis talks with the owners of a ‘fake’ Chinese version of the famous amusement park.
The Shijingshan Amusement Park included a raven-haired woman with seven men in elf suits, a ‘Mickey’ mouse and other Disney-style characters.
Deputy general manager, Yin Zhiqiang, said: “The characters in our park just look a little bit similar to theirs. But the faces, clothes, sizes and appearances are different.”
“We do not have any agreements with Disney.”
I see nothing wrong. I think it’s great that these people are taking advantage of their rights.
Most of these Disney characters should have been in public domain in the US over twenty years ago, but congress changed the laws for in 1976 and then they should have been in public domain in the US in 2003, but Disney and big business used their tremendous lobbying power to pass “The Mickey Mouse Protection Act” in 1998. Should have been called “the big business welfare act.” Now these characters won’t be in public domain in the until 2019!. Thats not really fair. And to think, the creators of “The Mickey Mouse Protection Act” wanted artists copyrights to last forever.
I for one am glad that these extended copyright laws aren’t adopted in the rest of the world and someone else is able capitalize on that.
I can’t see any wrong in artists’ copyright lasting forever. After all, why should somebody’s creation, plan, idea or product of imagination become public domain in order fro everybody to make use of it and make a profit out of it? It makes sense to me that you can get money out of an idea only if you’ve been sharp and creative enough to have that idea.
Boy Alex, I hope you’ve never d/l’ed an unauthorised MP3…
I agree with Alex..
and I have downloaded unauthorised MP3s..
Doesn’t mean that Alex’s idea is wrong..
Forever is a long, long time.
The world is probably a better place because the works of Shakespeare, Plato, and Aristotle are all in the public domain, freely distributable and sharable.
So the YouTube clip of the fake Disney characters is itself removed for copyright violation… that’s beyond ironic.
I hereby coin the term “meta-irony” (c) 2009.