Who do you suppose owns the copyright on the CURIOUS GEORGE image?

[thunder rising]

I followed one lead to pbskids. I used the contact page to ask them who owned the image and did the bar owner in Marietta GA use the image according to fair use policy.

http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/parentsteachers/help/contact_us_s.html

[DJ13]

1. Somebody posted yesterday it was owned by the Disney Corporation

But I dont know for sure if thats correct.

[thunder rising]

6. Well that would explain the non-action by the copyright holder.

[blondeatlast]

11. It's owned by Houghton-Mifflin Publishers and they are very protective of the copyright and have

issued a statement; here's a link from the Boston Herald (HM is located in Boston):
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1094037&pos=breaking

[skooooo]

2. The man in the yellow hat?

:)

[Fridays Child]

3. I thought that the publisher of the *Curious George* books owned the copyright.

From this link:

The publishers of the book are considering legal action to stop further sale of the T-shirts.

Rick Blake of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, (which owns Curious George) tells the Atlanta Journal no one has been authorised to use the image. "We find it offensive and obviously utterly out of keeping with the value Curious George represents," Blake says. "We're monitoring the situation and weighing our options with respect to legal action."

[ronnykmarshall]

4. Check this out ....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3312481

[MADem]

5. What's the rule now? A hundred years, or fifty after the author dies?

I know all the films made before 1923 can be copied like crazy, absent the studios' express renewal of the rights.

[Pab Sungenis]

8. Even with their renewal.

The Copyright Act of 1978 declared everything before 1924 as public domain.

Anything before 1964 that was not explicitly renewed prior to 1978 is also in the public domain.

[MADem]

9. Ah, THERE it is, then!!

Of course, if you're using the image plainly as SATIRE, and not in an attempt to cut into the Curious George market, there might be wiggle room.

[Eric J in MN]

10. It's more recent than 1924. It's from 1941.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George

"The series was written and drawn by the team of H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, starting in 1941."

[wtmusic]

7. Houghton Mifflin Company

owns the copyright and it is licensed to WGBH and Universal Studios.

Neither fair use nor satire has anything to do with this. If HMC sues they will win, but a cease and desist will likely do the trick.

[thunder rising]

12. Which begs the question ... why have they not filed for the injunction

[blondeatlast]

13. They may be in the process--and I doubt they want to give the sick, racist fuck

any more publicity.

Trust me--you don't mess with HM. I've been in the publishing biz; they know precisely what they are doing.