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Disney has put so much effort into building Mickey Mouse as a brand that I don't mind all the protections they get. Plus, he's more of an icon than a character, so he's more likely to be an already-allowed stand-in for commentary on Disney (a la South Park) than people telling new stories with him.

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You don’t seem to be bothered by the ramifications of this. Really short sighted thinking.

>Disney has put so much effort into building Mickey Mouse as a brand that I don't mind all the protections they get.

The law wasn't meant to extend protections based on "effort", but based on time, - for reasons of enriching the public domain and general culture.

Also Disney isn't a person, it's a company, and as such it put zero effort. People working at Disney put the effort, including many people fired, discriminated, compensated badly, and generally fucked over by Disney.

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