Public Domain Popeye

Popeye will be falling into the public domain in the UK on January, 1st! The famous spinach lover is one the first of the large pop culture icons to reach this advanced age, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out as the corporations that have vigorously defended their copyrights will have to watch as the character at last gets to be used in ways beyond their control by the public. Folks in the US however will have to wait an additional 15 years to get access to Popeye because of the efforts of the Disney company to extend the laws to protect their own characters. More details at the Times Online.

And for more on copyright laws be sure to watch the highly entertaining A Fair(y) Use Tale.

Thanks Carlos!